Kimiko's Dilemma
by Poison Bomb
Summary: After an embarrassing incident separates Kimiko and Raimundo and a bet no one can afford to lose is lost, Raimundo and Kimiko must find what is really important to the both of them. Please Rate and Review
1. Chapter 1

Kimiko's Dilemma

A RaiXKim Story

Kimiko peeked out of the cubical that was her bedroom and looked both ways down the dark halls. The coast was clear. She made her way down the hall with her towel and toiletries, her head down, towards the bathroom.

A shower. That's all she needed to clear her head. A nice, long, hot shower.

Kimiko's head was still swimming from what had happened earlier. She and Raimundo had been out in the field, sparring, as they always did.

Kimiko hopped quickly in the air as Raimundo slid his leg on the ground, trying to trip her. Kimiko was quick to act, lashing her leg out while still in the air. Raimundo was also fast, blocking her blow with his forearm.

They continued to fake-fight each other for another fifteen minutes until they fell to the ground, both panting heavily. Kimiko closed her eyes, trying to take in as much oxygen as she could. She had to admit, ever since he had become a Shoku warrior, Raimundo had become way stronger. Omi would still argue that Rai was lower than him, but he was quickly proving him wrong.

She opened her eyes and looked over at her friend to find him resting his head on his arms and looking at her with an expression that was hard to read. His green eyes were resting on her face, staring at her in a way that made her creeped out and intrigued at the same time.

"Um, what's up?" Kimiko asked. She sat up, too. "Is there something on my face?"

Rai didn't answer, instead he just sat up, and his eyes still fixed on her.

"Rai, is something wrong?" Kimiko asked, still a little confused.

"No," he said, his adorable accent sprinkling his words. She'd never tell him, but the Brazilian accent in his voice sent shivers down her spine. Good shivers. "Kimiko," he said, suddenly serious.

"Yeah?"

"You know that…." He hesitated, as if he couldn't decide whether or not to go on. Then he took a deep breath and continued; "You're my best friend, right?"

Kimiko's breath caught in her throat. She felt her cheeks redden no matter how much she begged them not to. What brought this on?

"Like, more than anyone I've ever met, even back home in Rio," he said.

Kimiko couldn't think of anything to say. She groped the very corners of her mind to find a response, but all she could think to say was, "Uh-huh."

"I mean it," he said. She noticed that his hand was scooting slowly closer to hers.

"Rai, I-" But before she could say anything more, Raimundo suddenly placed his hand on the back of her neck and pushed her head forward, forcing their lips to meet.

Kimiko closed the door behind her and set her towel on the counter. Her cheeks were reddening just from thinking about the incident. Even if she didn't like to admit it, Raimundo was indeed very special to her and she considered him her best friend, too. But what happened… It was so sudden; she hadn't even had time to think about what she did next.

Right after the kiss, Kimiko had separated, pushing him away. After that, he studied her face, looking almost scornfully at the petite Japanese girl, then got up and stormed off.

Kimiko started to strip off her clothes, first untying the sash around her waist and letting the red tunic drop to the floor, then she removed her white leggings and undergarments, tossing them into an unimportant corner of the small bathroom.

Naturally, Kimiko felt horrible about it, and not just because she'd hurt Raimundo's feelings. She hadn't even had time to respond to him; instead she had just sat there and babbled like a moron. She probably made Rai feel like she didn't like him, resented him even. Which, in all honesty, wasn't true at all.

She'd kept it to herself for a long time, but the truth was she adored her Brazilian teammate. More than she ever though possible. But they were both always trying to keep the world safe from ten thousand years of darkness or whatever Master Fung was rattling on about that week, so she had barely had time to even _think_ about her feelings, let alone act on them.

Even if she felt confused and frustrated inside, she couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement coursing through her veins. Raimundo had kissed her! Could this mean that he liked her too? That there was a chance for her to be with him?

She walked over to the shower and turned the knob on the shower's faucet to a temperature near burning, which had never bothered her, even before she became the Dragon of Fire.

As she stepped into the burning stream of water, she thought of what Raimundo had been like when they'd first met.

Kimiko stood outside of the temple, looking around curiously while dialing her cell phone. She placed the pink flip to her ear and waited. After two rings, Kimiko's best friend, Keiko, answered the phone.

"Moshimoshi?" answered her friend.

"Moshimoshi, Keiko," Kimiko said cheerily. "I just got to the weirdo temple place."

"Hey, Kimi!" her friend said. Kimiko rolled her pale blue eyes. She loved Keiko but calling her by such a childish nickname seemed so ridiculous now that they were both fourteen. "I miss you already."

"I miss you, too," Kimiko said, smiling. "I can tell by the look of this place that its gonna be a real bore. I wish you were here."

"How long are you supposed to be there anyway?" Keiko said. "Your dad said something about it being pretty long-term."

"I don't know, I just-" but before anything else could escape Kimiko's pink, glossed lips, she caught a glimpse of a boy coming her way. She gasped and instinctively pressed _End_ on her cell phone, which she had long since forgotten what she was holding it for. The boy was gorgeous. He looked to be about the same age as Kimiko, only seeming to be miles taller (well, it was to be expected as Kim was extraordinarily short, as was her father.) His tan was deep and dark, showing his Hispanic descent pretty clearly. His forest green eyes were electric against his skin, but they could barely be seen under his messy brown hair that spiked up in a way that seemed to defy gravity.

When he got to her, he looked her up and down. Kimiko blushed, subtly looking down at herself, checking for flaws, a loose hair, an outrageous piece of clothing out of place, but found none.

The boy's mouth broke into a smile and he said, "Ai, girl, you look like a kids' dress-up box threw up on you."

Kimiko couldn't believe her ears. She was caught slightly off guard by his accent but ignored it and pressed forward to the real problem. She'd never even met this boy before and he was already picking a fight with her? She had to admit that her clothes were a bit unorthodox, but they were only a little strange back home in Tokyo.

"Look, buster, I don't know who you think you are, but-"

"I _think_ I'm Raimundo Pedrosa. Actually, I don't think, I _know_," he smirked. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Kimiko Tohomiko," she said. "And I don't care who you are, you have no right to-"

"Hm," Raimundo interrupted her again. "Your clothes are weird, but," he grabbed her chin tenderly with his hand. "Your face is cute, so I'll give you a seven."

She couldn't believe this guy. Was he flirting with her genuinely or was he just acting like a playboy? An untimely blush stretched across her pale face as she slapped his hands away.

Unfortunately, Kimiko was quick to learn that Raimundo was an immature, sexist, lazy, reckless, over-the-top, prankster playboy that had somehow become her new teammate and some time later, her team leader.

Kimiko then thought about it more clearly. Yeah, Rai was now the team leader and stronger and more powerful, but that, under no circumstances, meant that he had matured any. It all dawned on her quickly and when it did, it was painful.

What if Raimundo was just screwing with her head? What if he was just fooling with her, looking for a good time? She sat down on the slippery floor of the shower, never minding the hot spray that sent little droplets of water sliding down her body and over her hair.

Raimundo walked into the bedroom that he shared with his three other teammates and slammed the door angrily. He started towards his cubical, although he bolted past Kimiko's, which was right next to his (he was unaware that she wasn't in it.)

When he got to his cubical, his lowered himself onto the mat that was his bed and lay back with his hands behind his head. He couldn't believe how badly he'd screwed himself over. He'd _kissed_ his best friend and teammate without any warning! And it was pretty obvious by the way she'd pushed him away that she wasn't interested. And now she never will be. He'd taken a chance and he blew it. And he was positive storming off the way he had had won him no points with her whatsoever. He probably made it seem like he was mad at her, but he had just wanted to get away. He had been really embarrassed.

At this point, Rai wasn't even sure _what_ he'd been trying to accomplish by randomly telling her stuff she probably already knew and then kissing her. You don't _kiss_ your best friend, even if she's a girl. Even if you've liked her. Even if you've adored her from afar for a long time…

Raimundo stepped out of the taxi that had brought him to his new home, the Xiaolin Temple.

_Now remember to write us, Raimundo,_ his mother had said before he left. She kissed him on his tan forehead and stroked his face tenderly. _We'll miss you, baby._

_Bye-Bye, Raimundo! _His little siblings had said, hugging his legs and sniffling. _Good luck with training._

He sighed. Whatever was here better be pretty damn good for him to have to leave his family behind.

He heard someone talking and made his way around the large building, looking up at the large pagoda-style roofing. He had been called to the temple because some Master guy had told him that he was in training and he was suddenly a Xiaolin Dragon of the Wind. He had no idea what that meant or why _he_ had been chosen, but he apparently had no other choice.

When he finally rounded the building, he saw a girl, chatting animatedly on her cell phone. Her pale blue eyes sparkled as she giggled at whatever the person on the other end of the phone was saying. Her hair was blonde, almost a bright yellow and was tied back by a long blue ribbon. Her complexion was extremely fair but it suited the small Japanese girl. But what interested Rai most was her attire. A blue turtleneck with no sleeves and long fingerless gloves were wrapped around her top half, a red and white striped skirt on her bottom. The way he saw her, this girl was beautiful.

But unfortunately for both of them, Raimundo was cocky and immature and he greeted her the only way he knew how.

When she saw him walk over, she hung up her phone and looked over at him. Her eyes studied him, but she said nothing.

"Ai, girl, did a dress-up box throw up on you?" he said, and immediately hated himself after he said it. What the hell was he thinking? God, he was such a jerk.

He watched as the girl looked surprised and a little hurt, then recovered and said, "Look, I don't know who you think you are, but-"

He quickly introduced himself, without even waiting for her to finish, and then continued to curse himself off inside his head.

"I'm Kimiko Tohomiko," she said. _Kimiko…_ What a gorgeous name.

Now, two years later, Raimundo had become the team leader but he still hadn't matured at all. He still was impulsive and reckless and couldn't think things through at all.

And now Kimiko probably hated him. But at least at this point she probably knew how he felt.

He stood up and wiped off his pants. He knew he couldn't talk to her, at least not yet. He knew she must be as embarrassed as she is. Maybe he needed to talk to someone else about it. Omi was out of the question, as he had lived in the temple all his life and became over-excited when Kimiko did so much as compliment him. Dojo was a huge blabbermouth, so he was a no, so that left Master Fung or Clay. _Clay_, he thought as he made his way down the hall.

_And where does he get off just running off after he kisses me?_ Kimiko ranted on in her head as grabbed the shampoo bottle angrily, but with so much force that it slipped through her hands and fell to the ground. She groaned and picked it up, then squirted some of the gel into her hands. She lathered it into her ebony locks, then let her arms drop to her sides, letting the suds flow off of her hair and down her body. _Stupid jerk. He's always been like that. He probably thinks he's so hilarious._

She put some body wash onto her red pouf and brought it up her arms and over onto her back.

"Clay?" Rai called down the hall. "You here?"

"Hello, Raimundo," Omi said as he walked up to him. Rai watched as his short, inappropriately bald teammate walked over to him. He was holding a black box in his hands, a GamePow, which wasn't very surprising, as Kimiko had gotten a new version of Pochika Raider recently and he'd been completely engrossed in it for quite some time now. "Are you perhaps looking for our comrade, Clay?"

"Wow, what gave it away, the fact that I was just yelling his name down the hallway or…?" Raimundo said, annoyed.

"Your sarcasm does not faze me, although it did just make me lose a life," Omi said, staring down at his GamePow intently. "And if you must know, Clay is in the dining hall."

"Stuffing his face, probably," Raimundo said, knowing all too well that food was the Texan's number one priority. "Well, I'll go talk to him, thanks."

Omi waved him off and started walking back down the hall, yelling, "Go Pochi, go!"

Kimiko finally turned the knob on the shower, shutting off the water and leaving her standing in the shower, shivering as the sudden rush of cold air hit her bare skin. She grabbed her towel and suddenly realized that in her rage she'd neglected to grab any clothes to wear and she couldn't risk wetting her only clean tunic…

She sometimes being the only girl on the team, in fact she almost _always_ hated it. Having three teenage boys running around and popping out at her God knows when, added with a bunch of old monks and a male dragon had _never _bode well for her, especially now. She couldn't very well ask one of her friends to bring her her clothes, which included her underwear. She sighed and wrapped herself in her towel tightly, then opened the door a crack and peeked out. The dark halls were empty but she'd never know if one of them would start walking by randomly. She also couldn't fully see the bedroom either, so she couldn't tell if there was anyone there.

God, being the only girl _sucks_. She took a deep breath and opened the door fully. She just had to get to her chest, get some pajamas, run to the bathroom and change. It was ironic how such a menial task seemed so complicated to a Xiaolin Dragon. She sucked in her breath, and then stepped out into the hall. She exhaled as she noticed that no one was around. She walked briskly towards her small cubical, holding the top of the towel tightly in her fist. Her long hair was sticking to her body and getting in her eyes but she pressed on.

She finally got to her small sectioned-off area and dug through her trunk for something to wear. She finally found an old, over-sized t-shirt and a pair of bright orange pajama pants to wear. She was digging through her underwear drawer when she heard a small, scared squeak behind her. She whirled around to see Raimundo, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, and his feet in mid-step. A deep red blush stretched across his face.

Kimiko immediately blushed too. She'd needed two hands to rummage through her things, so her towel had started to slide down over her breasts, revealing a considerable amount of cleavage. The way she was kneeling brought her towel dangerously close to showing her butt.

"Uh…" Raimundo tried to form a coherent sentence, but all that escaped him was a confused and embarrassed groan.

Kimiko's eyes started to fill with tears and the back of her eyes started to sting. She stood up and pushed past him, running away, leaving her clothing behind as well as the dumbfounded Brazilian.

"Kim, wait," Rai, said, after he had regained himself and started to run after her. Kimiko only ran faster, trying to get away from him, trying to get away from that moment, when he'd come upon her, dripping wet and half-naked. But she knew it wouldn't ever go away, no matter how many times her body screamed, _it didn't just happen, it didn't just happen, IT DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN._ But it did happen and now she'd never be able to face Raimundo again. Hell, she'd be lucky if she could face _anyone_ again. Ever cocky, Rai would probably tell everyone in the temple about the incident and she'd never be treated the same.

Kimiko's legs started to hurt and her breath came in short bursts. She wouldn't be able to run much further, but she couldn't just stop. She needed to find a place to just hide for a while… or maybe forever. She saw a door and the end of the hall and sprinted to it, whipped it open, and ran inside. Then she froze.

She'd neglected to pay attention to where the hell she was going when she'd been running and had somehow accidentally led herself into the common room.

Her heart stopped as she saw, staring back at her, were Clay, Master Fung, and Dojo. Clay's face was completely red, a piece of meat was halted halfway through its journey to his mouth. Master Fung looked uncomfortable, but said nothing, while Dojo looked on with a cocked eyebrow.

Rai finally caught up with her, but hadn't noticed that she'd stopped and barreled right into her. They both stumbled but somehow managed to keep their balance. After a long, uncomfortable silence, Rai finally looked up and saw what he'd done. He'd managed to single-handedly humiliate Kimiko and probably ruin her life forever.

Kimiko's lip quivered. Tears were welling up in her eyes and it took every ounce of sheer willpower she had to keep them from spilling over in front of everyone.

"Kimiko?" Omi suddenly called walking into the room. His head was still down, his small, black eyes concentrating intensely on the GamePow. "How do you get past the level with the lasers and-" He then looked up, noticing now what he'd stumbled upon. His face took on a confused expression and he said, "What is going on? This was never in 'The Ancient Guide to Females'."

After that Kimiko snapped. Her face scrunched up as tears started falling down her face and she began to blubber. Then, she burst into hysterics, wailing as she tore out of the room.

It took a few seconds for Rai to regain himself before he turned around, trying to run after her. But a large hand caught him on the shoulder and Rai turned around, shooting a glare at whoever was holding him back.

A surge of rage and guilt washed over Clay as he gripped Raimundo's shoulder tightly. No one _ever_ deserved what just happened, but Kimiko was like a little sister to him and seeing her so upset broke his heart. The small group behind him dispersed, sensing a bloodbath in their midst.

"Raimundo," Clay growled, his voice almost shaking with rage. "What the _hell_ was that?"

"Clay, I don't have time for your hillbilly lectures, I need to talk to her," Rai said impatiently.

"The way she came in here made it pretty clear that she was trying to get away from you," Clay said.

It was just then that Raimundo realized how bad this all must look. Kimiko, running full speed away from him, almost completely naked and dripping wet. He scoffed.

"Clay, you don't actually think I'm that kind of guy, do you?" Rai said, incredulous. "Do I _look_ like a rapist?"

"You don't but after that, I don't really know anymore," Clay said, finally releasing Raimundo's shoulder and staring at him.

"Oh, don't you go all acting like a hero," Raimundo shot back. "We _all_ saw the way your face turned red when she ran in."

"Don't you turn this on me, Rai," Clay warned, his blood boiling furiously. The urge to punch Raimundo's lights out presented itself and Clay was dangerously close to following through.

"With all due respect, Clay, I really don't have time for this and I honestly don't have to explain myself to you," Rai snapped. "So I'm gonna go find Kim now."

"Rai, I'm telling you, she won't want to see you!" Clay said. "She's obviously not gonna-"

"SHUT UP!" Rai exploded, turning on Clay. Clay was taken aback slightly by the anger that blazed behind Raimundo's eyes. "Look, I didn't want any of this to happen! Do you honestly think that I would _want_ for any of you to see her like that? Because if you do, you better get your head out of your ass. You may think that I'm still that stupid, immature, little kid that I was when I first came here, but I'm not! Now, I'm trying to go after Kimiko because I care about her and every second you make me waste here is another second that she's alone, feeling like crap, _because_ of me. I know that I screwed up and that I'm an asshole, or whatever. All I wanna do is make it right. So just let me the hell through already."

Clay studied his friend's face, trying to catch any signs on insincerity. But all Clay found was genuine concern in Raimundo's emerald eyes. Clay's expression didn't change but he stepped aside and cleared the way for Raimundo.

Rai nodded, then ran down the hallway. Clay followed him down the hallway, watching him until he disappeared into the darkness at the end of it. Then, he grabbed the tip of his hat, tipped it a little over his eyes, and smiled. "'Bout time," he said.

When Kimiko finally stopped running, she was in the middle of the forest that bordered the temple, her clothes in hand, along with the Shroud of Shadows. She figured that as long as she had the opportunity, she might as well be invisible. She got dressed amidst her tears, then covered herself in the shroud and curled into a ball and wept.

How could this happen to her? She had been able to live with these boys for so long and nothing like this had ever happened before. Most people would've been more comfortable around boys she knew so well, but something about it happening in front of her master and Raimundo just destroyed her.

Maybe she should leave. Just flee the temple and never come back. She'd return home and live with her father again and get every gadget she'd ever want and be with Keiko and…. But she knew she couldn't leave. She had a duty here and she couldn't leave it behind. But what was she going to do? No one would treat her the same ever again, even Omi, who would eventually figure it out on his own or have what had happened explained to him. She dug her face into arms and cried harder.

About ten minutes later, the tears stopped and she just sat alone in the woods, surrounded by the sounds of animals and the darkness. She rested her head on her arms, which were folded over her knees and she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest.

She sat there for a long time, losing herself in her thoughts and the darkness. She figured she must've been outside for an hour before she realized that she was getting cold and the guys must've been worried about her by now and she should probably return home.

She'd decided that she was going to play it off as if it was nothing and try to acoid everyone until the next morning. By then everything would hopefully have blown over. She got up, removing the shroud and slinging it over her shoulder, and started back.

"Alone, are you, dear girl?" a raspy, feminine voice suddenly hissed in her ear.


	2. Chapter 2

Kimiko's Dilemma: Part 2

Raimundo paused for a second, doubling over as he caught his breath, then standing up straight again and continuing his search. He'd looked in almost every corner of the temple for Kimiko, but to no avail. If she was hiding herself, she was doing an extraordinary job of it.

He sat down on the dirt and weighed his options. He could either continue looking for her now, or wait until the next morning. She probably wouldn't be very willing to talk to him or anyone tonight, but he might as well address the problem earlier. But by the next day most of the hype about it will have died down and she'd probably shut all conversation down about it completely. _I'll talk to her tonight_, Rai thought, standing up.

Rai didn't want to waste any time finding her. He knew that Jack Spicer and whatever force he was teaming up with that week tended to attack at night, as that was when they were most vulnerable, which made Rai sweat a little. He didn't want to risk anything happening to Kimiko, especially right now, when she was so upset.

Then, the thought of Spicer triggered something in Raimundo's mind and he thought: The Shen Gong Wu! Kimiko could've taken one. The only two that Rai could think of as useful under Kimiko's circumstances were the Golden Tiger Claws and the Shroud of Shadows.

If she had taken the Tiger Claws, it would be a huge problem. She might've been home in Tokyo by now if that were the case and then he'd never be able to talk to her. Not to mention the beating he'd receive when Clay found out. He didn't think Kimiko would do something so rash, but when she was in this state of mind, anything was possible.

His pulse quickened as he raced to the vault, ringing the chimes in order to create the brief melody needed to open the vault. The stairs appeared immediately after and he ran down the steps two at a time. He found the drawer that held the claws, indicated by a small cryptogram of the mystical item. He pressed the stone in with his fingers and watched it open for him. He sighed with relief as he saw that the golden artifact was in its place, unused.

He checked the shroud's box next. As he suspected, it was gone. She could be anywhere in the temple and he could've passed her numerous times and she'd just ignored him.

He then proceeded to get the Falcon's Eye. He was unsure whether or not the Shen Gong Wu could actually _see_ through the Shroud of Shadows, but it was worth a shot. He called the mystical object's name, activating it. "Falcon's Eye." He peered through the walls of the temple, searching for any sign of his friend. Nothing.

Raimundo walked outside into the courtyard, looking around with the cold metal of the eye pressed against his face. He found no sign of her and started to panic when his eyes fell towards the direction of the forest. The Falcon's Eye's magic took him through the forest, looking through trees and the like, until he finally saw something. A small, female figure, next to two more shapes; a levitating human and a ghostly, almost transparent shape. Raimundo felt the color drain from his face and his heart almost exploded in fear as he realized in horror what was happening. He dropped the Falcon's Eye and sped off, disregarding the Shen Gong Wu and heading towards the gates.

"Back off, Jack, I've had a bad day," Kimiko growled, taking her sharp yet balanced fighting stance, one leg bent up to her hip and her arms bent against her body.

"Oh, have you, now?" the ghostly witch, Wuya, chuckled darkly. "Well, we all have our off days, don't we?" She floated up to Kimiko's face, so close that her long, crooked, red nose almost touched Kimiko's. Kimiko's eyes narrowed and the phantom's smile widened. Then, she fazed through Kimiko's pale face without warning, laughing cruelly as it sent a chill through the girl's body.

"Kimiko, I'm prepared to make a deal with you," Jack said, flying up to her using his helicopter backpack and cupping her face. She slapped his hands away and spat, "Not interested."

"Oh, but, you don't even know what we have to offer," Wuya said, floating over to where Jack was rubbing his hands.

"I said I'm not interested!" she growled, lunging forward at Jack and lashing her leg out towards him. Jack directed his heli-bot backwards, causing her leg to miss by inches. Then Jack grabbed her by the arm and held her up to his face.

"But you don't even know what we have to offer," Jack breathed in her ear.

"Hi-ya!" she smashed her bare feet into Jack's chest, sending him flying backward into a tree. Then, she flipped backward in the air and landed lightly on her feet. "I'm not stupid like Raimundo. You can't bribe me."

"Fine, have it your way," Jack shrugged, standing up from the pile of wood that once resembled a tree. He fixed his goggles, which had been thrown astray, then pressed a button on his wristwatch and a group of his Jack-bots appeared out of nowhere. He chuckled as he backed away, joining Wuya on the sidelines as the robots advanced on Kimiko.

"Fire!" She called on her element, feeling her power increase and her strength build. She jumped in the air and spun backward with her leg held out from her hip, kicking two robots into each other. They exploded, but from the smoke came their replacements.

As Kimiko continued to fight, she cursed herself off in her mind. How could she have been so stupid as to forget about her enemies? She couldn't believe she had let herself get blinded by this whole ordeal. She had been totally unprepared with no Shen Gong Wu to speak of and no plan.

She swung her leg over her head, smashing a Jack-bot that had been sneaking up on her from behind, then brought it down on another that was advancing on her from the front.

There were too many of the robots surrounding her, and she was getting tired. But she had to keep fighting, she had no choice.

"Judolette flip: Fire!" she tumbled backwards on her hands, flames dancing around her, following her as she flipped through the air. She landed, her back to the cloud of smoke that was once her enemies. She glanced back, but through the smoke came even more Jack-bots. "No way!"

"Way, baby!" Jack said, cackling. "You can fight all night, but these guys will just keep coming."

But the truth was Kimiko _couldn't_ fight all night. She felt her strength depleting and her limbs started to ache. She couldn't go on much longer. One of the robots shot a powerful beam at Kimiko, grazing her shoulder. She gasped in pain and fell to her knees, grasping her shoulder tightly.

Jack flew over to her, smirking evilly down at where she knelt. She tried to glare up at him, but her face twisted in pain and she just sent him a look of anguish.

"Now, come quietly," Jack said, reaching down towards her. "We have quite the proposition for you."

"Wind!" a gale of cold air rushed forward to meet those words, blowing some of the robots into each other and causing them to explode. Then, a dark-haired boy descended from the trees, kicking one of the robots into Jack and into a tree. He landed in front of Kimiko, his back to her.

"She's not going to join you, asshole," Rai spat at the red-haired Heylin.

"Ah, Raimundo," Wuya said, bitterly. "A bit late, aren't we?"

Kimiko looked up at her savior, who'd turned around and was walking over to her.

"Are you okay, Kimiko?" he said, kneeling down next to her and holding out his hand.

She slapped his hands away, her eyes narrowed sourly. "Go away, Raimundo, I don't need your kind of help."

"Could you try being the least bit grateful?" Rai said, angrily. "I just saved your ass back there."

"I was doing just fine before you came, so you can just go," Kimiko lied, pushing past him and facing Jack.

"Kimiko, would you just stop it?" Raimundo said. "Let me help you, okay?"

"No! Just go away!" Kimiko yelled at him.

"Watching you Xiaolins fight just makes my day," Jack said mockingly, chuckling. "Its like a movie."

"But what say we add a little more drama?" Wuya said, looking over at her pale red-head of a partner. Her masked-face twisted into a smile as a Jack-bot crept up behind Kimiko. Suddenly, the sound of electrical crackling and the smell of burning skin filled the air as Kimiko convulsed violently, then fell against Raimundo's chest and he grabbed her as the last ebbs of her consciousness slipped away.

Behind her, a Jack-bot's chest plate had opened up and a taser was sticking out of it, still alive with crackling electrical currents.

"Wuya, you bitch!" Raimundo yelled at them. The pair in front of him laughed evilly. _Clay is gonna kill me when I come back with her like this._

"All right, Pedrosa," Jack smirked. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown."

"What are you talking about right now, asshole?" Rai said, setting Kimiko gently on the ground with her head on her towel. "At a time like this? And there aren't any Shen Gong Wu to fight over."

Jack smirked again, the dug his shoe into the ground and out popped what appeared to be metal plungers attached by a silver string.

"You know what this is?" Jack said, twisting the string between his fingers.

"Do you see a dragon that's most likely breaking out in an ugly and disturbing rash?" Raimundo spat.

"Well, you'll soon find out, won't you?" Wuya laughed. "And we'd like to place…. A wager."

"A wager?" Raimundo said, cocking a thick eyebrow. "Like more than Shen Gong Wu?"

"Exactly, child," Wuya smirked. "We'd like you to wager your teammate-" she pointed a ghostly hand at Kimiko.

"No way in hell," Raimundo scoffed. "I'd never bet any of my teammates."

"But you shouldn't give up the offer we have to give you," Wuya said. "Especially before you hear what we have to offer."

"I said 'No', you hag," he said. Jack snickered at the nickname, but she brushed it off and turned to the unconscious Kimiko.

"You shouldn't really say no now, Raimundo," she said. "You're in a rather tight spot. If you decline our offer, we'll test this new Shen Gong Wu on her."

Rai's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "You're bluffing," he said, clenching his fists.

"Perhaps," Wuya said.

"Or perhaps we're gonna Shen Gong Wu-ify her ass," Jack said, smirking.

_What do I do? _Rai thought, his mind in a panic despite his cool composure on the outside. _I don't know if they're bluffing or not. I don't wanna take the chance of Kimiko getting hurt. _

"Alright," he said with a heavy sigh. _I have no choice._ "What's your challenge?"

"Good boy," Wuya smirked happily.

Rai reluctantly placed his hand on the silver string and it started to glow.

"Raimundo, I challenge you to a-" Jack started.

"Yeah, yeah, just name your game," Rai sighed.

Jack glared at him angrily then said bitterly, "A race through the forest towards the cave at the end. Inside the cave will be the prize. First to the cave gets Kimiko and the Shen Gong Wu. No Shen Gong Wu, just with our own skills."

"Now you're pretending you have skills?" Raimundo said. "_Dios, chico, te loco_!"

"Fine," Raimundo said.

"Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!" They both said. The ground shook as they both rose into the air, brought up by a giant mound of dirt. When they stopped moving, Rai could get a good look at everything.

Giant flying islands were floating in the air, starting from the mound that they were standing on. From that mound there were two paths of islands that stretched out farther then he could see. There was a small brown speck that he knew was the cave that would hold the Shen Gong Wu.

_I can't lose this,_ Raimundo thought, determined. _I wo n't let them take Kimiko or the Shen Gong Wu._

"Gong yi tempai!" They both yelled, then sped off.

Rai jumped off of the platform and landed on the first island, his feet landing lightly in the center. He felt it rock it slightly, but it seemed stable enough to walk on. But when he took a step, the whole island shook violently and he stumbled. He peered over the edge and he felt his stomach drop. The entire mound was crumbling. Even the edge that he was standing on was started to fall apart. The pieces were falling downward, towards an earth he couldn't see. He gulped and stepped back. He took a deep breath then jumped onto the next mound. It shook again and it started to crumble right away.

He glanced back at Jack, who was squealing like a child and trying to get from the first platform to the second. Rai mirked and kept moving on. _This is in the bag._

"Monkey Staff!" he heard a voice behind him yell. Rai turned around suddenly and saw that Jack Spicer, who now looked like an enormous (ugly) monkey, was jumping around crazily and running towards him.

"Hey, no cheating!" Raimundo yelled accusingly. But Jack wasn't listening, as usual. He jumped onto Rai's mound and plowed right through him, causing him to stumble and fall over the edge. Seconds before he fell, he grabbed onto the edge. He was dangling over the edge of the mound, the only thing keeping him from death (or at least, losing the showdown) was his fingers, clinging on to the island for dear life. He swung his legs, gathering momentum, until he could swing himself up to a one-handed handstand and jump to his feet. "Get back here, asshole!"

Jack just looked back and screeched angrily at him. Raimundo sped up, trying to catch up to the monkey man.

_Damn it if I don't have any Shen Gong Wu with me,_ Rai thought angrily to himself. _But I'll be damned if I lose to this creep_.

As he started to catch up, he could finally see the cave more clearly. As he neared it, he saw that it wasn't really a cave, just a semi-circle with the curve on top. Underneath the curve was a small pedestal with the small silver Shen Gong Wu on top. But there was another small speck that Raimundo couldn't identify hanging from the circular rock.

He pressed on, begging his lungs for extra air so he could push forward. He started to pull in front of Jack, smiling as he passed the seething Jack. He was only a few feet away from the rounded rock and he could finally identify the little speck hanging from the rock. Raimundo skidded to a stop when he finally saw it.

Kimiko was hanging from the ceiling by her wrists, still unconscious. But somehow, her shirt had been ripped to right under the swell of her breasts and her hair was stringy and hanging all over her face and down her back. The overall effect was incredibly sexy and it intrigued and pissed off Raimundo at the same time.

He continued to run toward her and saw that he was upon the final jump. Naturally, this one was the hardest to cross, the gap was about fifteen feet wide and the only place to land was on one little pedestal that was obviously there only for someone to land on to win. He was almost there when he could hear the sound of whirring growing louder and when he looked back he saw Jack, moving faster than ever. He wasn't a monkey anymore, but he had turned on his heli-bot that he wore on his back and was gliding carelessly through the air, smirking down at Raimundo.

Rai glanced up at Jack, who was pretending to backstroke through the air. Rai swung his arms backwards, pushing a cushion of air against his back and propelling him up into the air. He grabbed onto Jack's ankles, pulling them both down towards the earth.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Jack yelled down towards his feet.

"You should talk, Monkey boy!" Raimundo shot back up at him.

Jack started kicking violently, whimpering like a child as Rai tightened his grip around the other boy's pale ankles.

Meanwhile, the petite Japanese girl started to wake up. After her blue eyes fluttered open, the first thing she felt was the searing pain that seemed to emanate from the small of her back. As her memory came back, she realized with a growl that she'd been tasered by one of the Jack-bots.

She tried to rub it but realized for the first time that she couldn't move her arms, or her feet for that matter. They seemed to be dangling uselessly. She looked up and saw that her wrists were bound to eat other, looked down and saw her ripped shirt. Her face turned red with embarrassment and rage and she screamed, "Jack! I'm going to freakin' kill you!!!!"

Rai and Jack both looked up to where Kimiko was hanging and thrashing, trying to free herself from her suspended prison.

"Ah, she's awake!" Jack said, giggling with excitement.

Kimiko looked down and saw the two boys, the pale, gothic boy flying around, her Brazilian teammate clinging to his ankles for dear life. But honestly, she could give a crap whether or not Rai was in mortal peril, she was just seriously pissed.

"Raimundo! Get me down from here!" she shrieked. " I know you have something to do with this!"

"Ai, girl, its not my fault!" Rai called back angrily. "It's the Flying Dork-ini's fault. Not mine!"

"I don't care whose fault it is!" Kimiko screamed, thrashing harder and harder against her restraints. "Just get me out!"

"Working on it!" Rai yelled as he started swinging from Jack's feet.

"Work harder!" she yelled down at him.

"Girl, if you don't stop running your mouth, I'm gonna-"

"Hey, guys, not to interrupt your lover's quarrel, but we're in the middle of a showdown!" Jack said, even though he was clearly enjoying himself.

"Shut up!" Kimiko and Raimundo both yelled at him at the same time.

"Hey, no need to take your hormones out on me!" Jack said. "And-" But before he could finish, he looked up at the cave and saw that it was just a few feet away. There was no way he could maneuver out of the way. Raimundo seemed to realize the same thing and swung off of Jack's legs, flipping backwards before landing perfectly on the stone. Up above, Jack ran straight into the curve of the rock, causing a huge explosion. As a result, the giant island started to crumble, giants chunks of rock tumbling towards them. Raimundo had nowhere else to go, so he dodged what he could. Then he heard Kimiko scream. He looked up and saw that she was swinging dangerously from her perch as the rock continued to break. Finally, the rope snapped and she started plummeting through the air, screaming as she went.

Raimundo couldn't get to her, she was a good ten feet off from where he was and falling fast. He couldn't think fast enough and she'd already fallen past him.

"Raimundo!" she shrieked as she fell, hot tears rolling up (yes, up) her pale face. Her heart was racing, her body was shaking, she'd never experienced anything like this. She might actually die. She knew that her lifestyle was dangerous, but it never occurred to her that she might actually die. And what a way to go, too. Falling to her death because of a challenge between the man she loves and a psychotic, self-proclaimed 'evil boy genius'. Great.

"R-Raimundo!!! Help me!" she screamed.

Rai didn't even have time to think, he dove off of the pedestal. His eyes stung and his brown hair was whipping at his face, but his only goal was getting to Kimiko.

She was still a lot farther down than he was and he could see the ground, and it was coming at them fast. He swung his arms downward again, another jet of air pushing him down towards her.

"Kimiko!" he yelled down at her. She looked up at him, tears swimming in her wild and fearful eyes. He reached out his hand to her, but she hesitated. Raimundo groaned and said, "Come on, Kim, we're about to smack into the ground. This is _not_ the time to be reluctant!"

She nodded and finally took his hand and he immediately pulled her against his body. He didn't know why, it was just an instinct, like this would help protect her. Kimiko's face turned a deep red, but he couldn't tell, her face was buried so far into his chest. She was freaking out for a second, but she quickly recovered, taking in his smell and feeling the muscles in his chest, which she could easily feel through his shirt. She suddenly felt ecstatic, happy and protected, like she was secure and would always be. But the only time she'd ever felt this was in Raimundo's arms.

There were only about thirty feet between them and the ground now and they were closing in.

But suddenly there were a ton of bright flashes and they were back in the forest with Jack and Wuya. In Jack's hands were the silver strings and he was smiling evilly.

Raimundo's arms were still around Kimiko, but he loosened them so he could look straight into her eyes. Kimiko was blushing deeply, but staring back at him.

"Well, I won," Jack said. But no one was paying attention to him.

"Thanks," Kimiko breathed. Raimundo just nodded.

"Kimiko, come on, you're coming with me," Jack said, grabbing Kimiko's arm and pulling her up to her feet.

"What?" Kimiko said, pulling her arm away. Raimundo stood up next to her, his eyes downcast and his temper flaring.

"You guys lost the showdown, so I got the prize," Jack said. He smiled down at the girl. "That would be you."

"Raimundo, what is he talking about?" Kimiko asked, her voice shaking. Raimundo didn't say anything, just stared at the ground.

"Your little boyfriend wagered you into the showdown," Wuya said, cackling cruelly.

"Y-You're lying," she said. "Rai would never-"

"But he did," Wuya hissed, wrapping her ghostly body around Kimiko's neck. "And now you're our's."

"Raimundo, they're lying, right?" Kimiko turned to Rai, whose hands were in his pockets and he was staring at his feet. "Rai, tell me they're lying."

"Kimiko, I-"

"Say your goodbyes, kiddies," Jack said. "We'll be taking Kimiko with us soon."

"Raimundo, how could you do this?" Kimiko said incredulously. "You bet me like some sort of object?"

"Kimiko, they were threatening you, I had no other choice," Rai said, stumbling over his words. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't find a way to explain himself. He really didn't believe there was any way he could.

"How about you leave me the hell alone!?" Kimiko yelled at him. "None of this would've happened if you just left me alone."

"If I'd left you alone, you'd already be in Jack's basement by now," Raimundo said. "I saved your ass, how about a 'thank you'?"

"Is this some kind of game to you, Raimundo?" Kimiko said. "I thought I meant more to you than a trophy. Especially a trophy that you lost!"

"Okay, this is getting kind of old," Jack said, pressing another button on his watch. Another Jack-bot descended from the trees and before either could object it had picked Kimiko up and hoisted her over its metal shoulder.

"What the hell??!?! Put me down!" Kimiko shrieked. She started banging on the robot but only receiving a metallic banging as a result. "I said, put me down, you metal creep!"

Then Jack pressed yet another button and the bot as well as Jack and his partner started to fly up into the air.

"I hate you, Raimundo!!!" Kimiko screamed right before they were out of earshot and out of sight.


	3. Chapter 3

Kimiko's Dilemma: Part 3

**Dudes, I'm so sorry this took so long. I'm writing a Naruto fanfic on my other account that I'm finishing up pretty soon but I took forever on the latest chapter so yeah, sorry again, enjoy.**

Raimundo simply hated himself. How could he let this happen? How could he let the one girl he'd ever really cared about get taken away from him by his arch-nemesis? The worst part was that he could have prevented it. He could have protected Kimiko, but instead, he took a risk with her on the line and lost her. He let his big head get the better of him and now he had lost her.

What was he supposed to tell Master Fung what had happened? How was he supposed to tell _Clay?_ Master Fung would probably yell at him, but Clay would actually harm his body. Omi would probably just cry and whimper a little.

What should he say? He couldn't find her? He'd look for her in the morning? She was eaten by a bear? He sighed and walked back into the gates of the temple. He scanned the courtyard for any sign of his friends or his sensei, but saw no one. Maybe he'd be able to avoid this until tomorrow.

"Raimundo!" someone called from the courtyard.

_Damn it_… Rai thought.

Omi, his little, yellow, bald-headed friend, ran up to him from behind the gazebo in the middle of the courtyard, waving at him. "Raimundo!"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time, Baldy," he said, sighing.

"Did you find our comrade, Kimiko?" he said, clasping his hands hopefully.

"Uh, yeah, we made up and everything," he said with false cheerfulness. It wasn't even a lie. He _did_ find her, and he _did_ make up with her, if only for about two seconds.

"Then where is she?" Omi said, looking around and behind Raimundo.

"Uh… she's-"

"Omi, buddy, why don't you mosey on to bed," Clay said, walking up behind Omi from behind the building and towards them. "I wanna talk to Rai."

"Why must I be the one who always leaves?" Omi huffed. "And what is this 'mosey?' How does one mosey? Is it a new technique? Or-"

"How about I kick you in the pants? That'll make it really easy," Raimundo said dangerously.

"Fine, I will leave and I will definitely _not_ watch from that corner over there," he said, pointing to the corner of the main building.

"Whatever, just go," Clay said. Omi walked away, looking back at them.

"Raimundo, where is Kimiko?" Clay said, pushing his hat up from his angry eyes and crossing his arms.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Raimundo said dodgingly.

"Rai, don't screw with me!" Clay yelled, not really to Raimundo's surprise. "Where is she?"

"I couldn't find her," he lied. "Mostly because you held me back earlier. I'll look for her in the morning." He started to walk away, but Clay caught him, yet again.

"Raimundo…" he growled.

"Um… we may have run into Jack Spicer and Wuya," Rai said hesitantly. "And… well…"

"Well, _what_?" Clay asked.

"There was a showdown," Raimundo said sheepishly. "And- wait, why am I explaining myself to you?"

"Because if you don't, your stomach is gonna be more tangled than a-"

"A sidewinder in a six-inch barrel?" Rai said, cocking a thick eyebrow. "You might as well give up, I know them all."

"Sure, why not?" Clay sighed. "Now where's our teammate?"

"Ok, there was a showdown and, um-" he stopped. He could barely believe what had just happened much less describe it. "Well, the wager was… well…" he twiddled his fingers nervously.

"You _wagered_ Kimiko?" Clay said incredulously. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any more stupid. Raimundo, you do realize you just bet and _lost_ a human being?"

"Clay, they were threatening her. What choice did I have?" he said.

"If she meant as much to you as you say she did, you would've figured something out! This entire war between the Xiaolin and the Heylin is just a big game to you, isn't it? None of this really matters to you, does it?"

"That's not true! Its means more to me than anything to beat those guys!" Rai said.

"Then why aren't you taking this seriously?" Clay said angrily. "Why would you bet your own teammate? In a showdown? Kimiko's not an object, Raimundo."

"I know that!" Rai said.

"Please explain to me how you thought this was okay? Like, at all?" Clay snapped.

"I didn't think it was okay!" he yelled.

"Then explain why you did that," he said.

"I can't!" Rai yelled at him. "I can't explain what I did. It was a risky situation and I didn't have time to think. There are tons of risks in this war. I made a mistake and I'm going to fix it. Now get off my back."

"How do you plan to fix it?" Clay asked. "Just running off blindly into battle and hope you don't lose? That's not going to save Kimiko!"

"You know, its kinda insulting that you still don't have faith in me," Raimundo sighed.

Kimiko thrashed against her restraints, her teeth clenching and her fists clenching. She couldn't believe what had happened. She knew Raimundo could be stupid but seriously? To wager one of his best friends for ancient crap? She was right. Raimundo had just been messing with her when he'd kissed her. She obviously didn't mean much to him if she let her go so easily.

She stopped struggling, panting heavily. Well, whatever screw Raimundo. She was going to bust out of here one way or another. The only issue? She had no PDA, cell phone, or computer. Without that she was kinda powerless.

As she sat alone in her metal prison, the gothic "evil boy genius" stepped into view, in what he planned to be dramatic, except he tripped over his own feet and fell, first smacking his face against Kimiko's cage, then fell back, the back of his head hitting the floor.

"……………………………………………………………………….."

"Jack, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Wuya said, floating briskly over to where Jack was only half-conscious.

"Is that you, Mama?" Jack said in a random, unfamiliar southern tone.

"No, you demented excuse for a slug!" Wuya yelled at him. "Get up!"

"Can I go home now?" Kimiko screamed over the ruckus that the two were making.

"No, because before Jack knocked himself senseless, he was going to talk to you," Wuya snapped. "And about that, what the hell, Jack?! Can you not walk in a straight line for two steps? Seriously you must be the stupidest human being on the face of the planet if you walked two steps and managed to knock yourself out! If your head weren't attached to your shoulders, you probably would've knocked it clean off! No, scratch that, you would've _lost_ your stupid, annoying, fat head years ago before I even met you!" Wuya ended her rant, panting heavily, her eyes narrowed angrily.

"Always with the nagging!" Jack said, standing up and rubbing his now bruised scalp. "Can you shut up for a few minutes so I can talk to this girl?! It took us about three years to get a plan to work out perfectly this far into it, so stop your yapping so I can follow through with it!"

"Well, I wouldn't have to yell at you if you weren't such a buffoon!" Wuya complained. "Clumsy, stupid oaf."

"Uh, guys?" Kimiko tried to interject.

"Don't call me an oak!" Jack yelled at her.

"_Oaf!_ Oh, my _god_, you can't even get that right? What?! Not even Omi would get that wrong! What's wrong with you? And you call yourself a boy genius," Wuya scoffed.

"Gu~uys!" Kimiko sing-songed, her intervention again ignored.

"Wuya, please! Like I'm supposed to understand your raspy, old lady voice! And you're always talking in riddles! _No one_ understands you!"

"GUYS!" Kimiko finally screamed, at last getting their attention, along with annoyed glares from both of them. "God, you're like an old, married couple! Can I _please_ go now? I have something to do, um…. NOT HERE!"

"No!" Jack said. He walked over to Kimiko's cage and tried to look Kimiko in the eyes (he had to stand on his toes to see into Kimiko's elevated face.) "Kimiko, I have a question for you."

"Well, I'm stuck here, so shoot," she groaned.

"Will you go out with me?" Jack said.

"Oh, of course I will!" Kimiko said happily.

"Really?" Jack and Wuya said simultaneously.

"Did we drop her on her head?" Wuya asked, turning to Jack.

"No, I don't think- d'hey!" Jack yelled.

Both Jack and Wuya's face contorted in surprise and utter shock as she beckoned Jack closer to her. She then swung her arm back and smacked Jack venomously across his cheek.

"NOT!" Kimiko scoffed. "Wow, gullible much? You'd think I'd accept something like that from the guy who practically just gave himself a concussion?" _And besides I already have my heart set on someone else…. Or at least I used to_, Kimiko thought sadly.

"She does have a point," Wuya shrugged.

"Regardless!" Jack said, pressing a button on his watch and Kimiko's cage opened suddenly. Kimiko wasted no time and leapt out of the cage and onto the ground.

Wuya watched as Kimiko made her way towards the exit, then glared sideways at Jack.

"Pressed the wrong button," they said together. Wuya sighed and said, "Figured as much."

"Jack-bots, get her!" The flying androids immediately revealed themselves from the shadows and rushed towards the black-haired girl. Kimiko skidded to a halt and watched as the sleek machines descended on her. She jumped up and started fighting off the machines.

But before long, Kimiko was fatigued again and slowed down a little. As she slowed down, the Heylin took their chance and the Jack-bots ensnared Kimiko's arms and legs, restraining all of her movement completely. In the that time, Jack walked over to her, his head high and his steps taken very carefully.

"Kimiko, darling," Wuya said evilly. "I'm afraid we have some bad news. We told a little fib."

"_No, really?!_" Kimiko said sarcastically. "Since when are you guys anything less than saints?"

Wuya rolled her eyes and looked over at Jack. "Anyway, I'm afraid your little boyfriend let you go for nothing."

"What?" Kimiko said suddenly alert and angry.

"Not only was this not a Shen Gong Wu," Jack said, holding up the silver object from before. "But it was relatively harmless to you."

"Aw, dammit, Raimundo!" Kimiko said.

"Yep, but I didn't lie completely," Jack said, gesturing for his robots to lower Kimiko to the ground.

"Well, that's a relief," Kimiko said, rolling her eyes.

"This may not be harmful to you, but it will prove most painful to your comrades," Jack said.

"Jack, I swear if you do anything to hurt my friends," Kimiko said dangerously. "I'll knock you unconscious and stick rusty knives down your pants."

"Well, I'm afraid you won't be able to do anything of your own accord… ever again," Jack said as he placed the silver plungers on Kimiko's temples.

"What are you doing?!" she said, thrashing her head from side-to-side trying to dislodge the metal cord without success.

"Give up, Xiaolin dragon…" Jack said, tapping a small button on the left plunger and the machine started vibrating gently against her temples. "Or should I say, _Heylin_ dragon of Fire."

Suddenly, Kimiko's body thrashed, screaming, as the machine forced a new mindset into her brain. Her eyes changed suddenly, along with the rest of her entire world. Her eyes went from their beautiful smoky blue hue to a terrible, blood red. Her eyes finally closed as the machine finished its job and fell uselessly to the floor. Then, her eyes opened in a glare, her mouth twisted into an evil smirk.

_What am I gonna tell Master Fung?_ Raimundo thought to himself. _He's gonna kick me out of here so fast I'll fly right past Brazil._ Raimundo yelled in anger and plopped himself onto the ground, his head in his hands. _Why am I thinking of that at a time like this? Kimiko probably hates me right now and I'm worried about myself._

_I can't just be sitting around anymore. I'm the leader now, I have to take action_, Raimundo thought as he stood up and scanned the courtyard. Then he called for the team's dragon and friend. "Dojo!"

"What?" Dojo asked sharply after a few minutes. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Well, um, I need your help for something," Rai said quietly, as to not attract attention.

"What could it possibly be right now?" Dojo whined, rubbing his black, beady eyes sleepily.

"Well, Kimiko is, well, kinda not here," Rai stammered.

"Yeah, she's probably sleeping!" Dojo snapped.

"No, she's not at the temple, and well, its kinda my fault," Raimundo said awkwardly. Dojo's expression changed quickly to a look of concern. Then they both heard a voice behind them.

"Is that so?" Master Fung said, sounding concerned, yet calm. "Well, Raimundo, why don't you tell us the whole story?"

_Shit, I was caught_, Raimundo groaned to himself.

A little later, after both Dojo and Master Fung were informed pf today's events (although he left out the kissing his teammate, chasing her around the temple almost naked, and the like, for his safety's sake.) After he finished, Master Fung looked sternly at the young Brazilian monk.

"Raimundo… this is quite the predicament," Fung said, stroking his goatee gently, thinking for a moment. "Raimundo, I have something to ask you."

"Yes, Master Fung?" Raimundo said. _When's the next flight to Rio?_

"How could you be so stupid?" he said.

"W-What?" Rai said, sweat dropping, surprised at his Master's bluntness.

"Raimundo, a teammate isn't just a person that you depend on. They're an extension of yourself, a part of you. Back when you all first came to the temple, you were all so temperamental and violent with each other. But now, you've all grown up, and with that you've grown closer together," Master Fung said. Dojo nodded in agreement. They both looked to Raimundo for a reaction.

Meanwhile, Raimundo had stopped listening a while back, the same thought going through his head over and over again. _An extension of yourself… I don't know if I like thinking of Kimiko that way…_ A blush creeped across his tan face. (Sorry, its just me and my perverted mind.)

Master Fung looked sideways towards Dojo and rolled his eyes. Then he walked up and whacked Rai upside his head, snapping Raimundo back to reality.

"Wha?" Rai grunted, rubbing his now throbbing head.

"Raimundo, stop being… how do you young folk say it…. An 'dumbass' and go find your teammate," Master Fung said.

Dojo advanced towards Raimundo, both of them a little taken aback by Fung's new vocabulary. He suddenly grew tremendously in size, preparing himself for takeoff.

"Don't worry, kid," Dojo said as Rai straddled the enormous dragon. "We'll get her back."

Then they took off.

About ten minutes later, after looking through all previous hideouts of their bone-headed nemesis, but found nothing, they were up in the air, thinking of where to look next.

"Raimundo, where to next?" Dojo said, sounding exhausted.

"The hell if I know," he groaned, lying back against Dojo's enormous scales. He gazed up at the stars, thinking of places she could be. But wait what was that? It looked like a speck coming down from the sky. A red speck. What was it? Raimundo sat up as the dot got closer to him. He could see it clearly now, it was a human being. Could it be….? No, it couldn't. But it was. It was!

"Kimiko?!" Raimundo yelled as she fell down towards him. The next second, her small yet powerful feet collided with his cheekbones, sending him flying off of Dojo's back and towards the ground, Kimiko's foot still wedged in his jaw.

Raimundo turned in the air to look up at the girl. It was definitely her. Her long, black was unmistakable, it was tied back into a long, low ponytail and colored a malicious red. Her skin was milky white and she was petite, but there was something about her that made Raimundo think she might not be his teammate. Her eyes… Her icy blue eyes were now an evil, blood red, her mouth twisted into a malicious grin.

Raimundo created a cushion of air underneath them, slowing their descent down considerably. Then he reached up and grabbed her forearms and looked up at her.

"Kimiko, what the hell are you doing?" Rai yelled up at her.

"Aw, come on, Raimundo," Kimiko said seductively. "Didn't you miss me?"

"What are you talking about?" he yelled. He looked down towards the ground, which was drawing ever closer.

"Raimundo, let's play a little," she said, placing her hands on his chest as they fell. "And besides, I think I owe you a little punishment for just giving me away."

"Kimiko, where did you even come from? You fell from the sky!" Rai said, still trying to clear his head. He had been searching for Kimiko, and then she'd pushed him off of Dojo… Hey, wait a minute…. "DOJO!"

"I'm coming!" Dojo cried, slithering down through the air, desperately trying to get underneath them. He finally caught up and caught the flying teens, about twenty feet from the ground.

"Kim, what are you doing?!" Dojo yelled back at her as they flew on. "You almost got him killed."

"Oh, why would I ever want to hurt Rai?" Kimiko said, turning to the Brazilian. She traced his jaw-line seductively with her black fingernail. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Now that they were stationary, Rai was able to actually see Kimiko now. Her usually gentle blue eyes were now red and traced with black eyeliner; her delicate lips were covered in black lipstick.

Her usual red tunic was replaced with a black dress that went down to her thighs, with a slit up the side up to her hip. It was a low-cut dress; it showed prominent cleavage. Leave it to Jack to give her a totally slutty, yet arousing outfit.

"Do you like it, Rai?" Kimiko cooed, noticing where he was looking and his growing blush.

"Kimiko, tell me what happened with Jack!" Rai said, putting his hands on her bare shoulders. "Did you escape? Did they do anything to you?"

"Raimundo, you've known me long enough to know that I can handle the likes of _Jack_," she said matter-of-factly.

"Hm," Raimundo grunted, unconvinced. "Well, let us down, Dojo, we're almost to the temple."

"Good, you kids must be exhausted," Dojo yawned.

"No, not really," Kimiko said. She looked over at Rai seductively and said, "I could stay up all night. And besides, I have a job to do."

"What are you talking about?" Rai said suspiciously.

Suddenly, a huge explosion emanated from the direction of the temple and smoke filled the air as they flew over the temple.

"Shit! So quickly! Kim-" he turned to look at the Japanese girl, her mouth twisted into an evil grin. Then, she jabbed Raimundo forcefully in the stomach then dove, swan-like, off the dragon.

"Hey! Get back here, girl!" Raimundo said, jumping after her.

"An attack?" Clay yelled, running out of the sleeping quarters. It was obvious that he'd just woken up, as his hat was askew and he wasn't wearing a shirt (yes, he wears his hat to bed but not a shirt…. Go figure.)

"It would appear so," Omi said, coming out calmly looking just as he did when he went to sleep. "But I thought that they had Kimiko right now, why would they attack so suddenly?"

"I reckon that he had some help," Clay growled.

"So you're not as dumb as a pile of rocks, are you, cowboy?" Jack said, descending slowly with his heli-bot strapped to his back.

"Jack, where's Kimiko?" Clay asked angrily, pointing at the levitating boy.

"I'm not quite sure," Jack said, looking at his watch. She was supposed to be here by now. She might've run into that Mexican idiot or whatever on the way."

"I'm Brazilian, estupido," Rai said, leaning against the gate of the temple, Kimiko hoisted over his shoulder. She was pounding angrily on his back and started screaming, "JACKY! HELP ME!"

"Jacky?" they all said together.

Jack flew quickly over to Rai and plucked Kimiko from his arms and held her in his own.

"Hey, put her down!" Rai yelled up at him.

"Sorry, Xiaolin dorks, but she's _my _partner, now," Jack smirked.

"Partner? What are you-" Omi started, but before he could finish, Kimiko grabbed Jack's pale cheeks and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

**I know, I know, this is awful, please don't hate me. But it'll be awesome I promise.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long, peeps. I dropped my computer off of my sister's bed (regular moron, as you know) and I didn't have the... the devotion to write, but now I'm back, baby. Enjoy the chapter!**

Kimiko's Dilemma Chapter 4

Raimundo and his comrades watched in horror as the Japanese girl kissed their nemesis. Raimundo's heart snapped in two and he felt like he was going to be sick. How did it become like this? How could this happen? How could Raimundo _let _this happen?

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the two finally separated....promptly after which Jack Spicer fainted.

Kimiko looked down at her unconscious partner and said, "Well, I expected as much." She then wiped her mouth gently with her fingers and licked the tips sexily, glancing in Rai's direction. He tried to look angry, or at the very least apathetic about it, but he was at a loss. He couldn't twist his expression into anything other than a look of tremendous hurt.

"Kimiko... what the hell?!" Clay shouted, while looking sympathetically at Raimundo. But Raimundo had cast down his eyes, his emeralds hooded by the shadow of his dark hair.

"Come on, cowboy, get real. I've been hanging around you dips for three-four years now and _none_ of you have given me any action," she said snidely, standing akimbo. Clay and Omi were taken aback. Was this really their Kimiko?

"Kimiko, cease this nonsense immediately" Omi shouted, pointing at the girl. "We are your friends."

"Stupid, little boy," Kimiko scoffed, pushing a strand of hair out of her pale face. "What makes you think I care about you guys?"

"But Kimiko-" Omi and Clay's face became shrouded in disbelief and horror. But suddenly, Clay seemed to change his mind.

"Now, hol' on there, li'l missy!" He pointed a chubby finger towards the girl, who was now leaning against the gate, smirking. "We know better now than to think you're the real deal"

Omi realized what Clay was getting at and he looked overjoyed as he agreed with his Texan friend. "Yes! Jack Spicer has pulled this kind of thing before! We know that the real Kimiko would never be this awful to us."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Baldy," Kimiko laughed, her burgundy eyes narrowing as she look at the Xiaolin warriors. "But believe what you want. I only have one question though."

There was a pause as she stood up straight off of the wall and looked at her friends. Then, she put her hands delicately on her hips and hissed, "Would you be willing to hurt me if you weren't so sure?"

The boys looked at her in confusion, only Raimundo's vision was still aimed at the ground.

"Last time this happened, the real Kimiko burst in and saved the day," Kimiko said. "Regardless of whether I'm legitimate or not, I can assure there's not gonna be another Kimiko popping in."

Raimundo clenched his fists, he knew the truth about this girl. She was the real, honest-to-God Kimiko, he was almost positive. There was one thing he could do that would seal the deal, but the thought of hurting Kimiko made him feel nauseous. And that made what he was about to do even harder

.

Raimundo's eyes snapped up and he glared venomously at the girl, then without another second's hesitation, charged toward her with a yell.

He dropped to the ground, lashing out his leg in an attempt to trip her, but as he expected, she wasn't going to have it. She hopped quickly in the air, kicking towards him with all her force. He blocked her blow with his forearm, then used his other hand to grab her leg and swing her towards the ground. But, ever flexible and durable, Kimiko placed her hands on the ground and spun in a circle, managing to kick Raimundo's jaw, good and hard. Raimundo recoiled, rubbing his throbbing face. Clay and Omi watched stiffly, waiting for what was going to happen next. They, as well as Kimiko, flinched when Raimundo stood up straight and looked at the ground again.

It was her. Her fighting style was exactly the same as Kimiko's was when they constantly sparred. Of course, they'd always been sparring, never anything that could injure each other, but this time obviously wasn't just training. She was playing for keeps.

"Clay, Omi..." Raimundo said, not bothering to look back at his teammates. His voice was trembling and his fists were clenched so tight that the tan skin was turning white. "She's not lying. She's the real Kimiko."

Clay and Omi gasped and they stared straight at their opponent.

Kimiko giggled mockingly and said, "Guilty as charged."

"Nevertheless, I want you to go at her with everything you've got. Don't hold back just because she was our friend," Raimundo said quietly, almost so that they didn't hear him.

"What do you mean 'was'?" Omi whimpered. "Isn't she still our friend, Raimundo? Our comrade?"

"Does she look like our comrade right now, Omi?" Raimundo spat. "Does she look like our friend?"

"Rai..." Clay started. He sounded calm and sympathetic, but then he became mad. "Rai, how can you say that? How can you expect us to willingly hurt our teammate?"

"The only thing I expect is for you to do as I say, willingly or not!" Rai said.

"Why do I have to listen to you!?" Clay shouted at the Brazilian.

"I'm the leader, that's why!" Raimundo exploded, finally turning back to look at his friends. His green orbs were swelling with tears, but at the same time, were hooded by a shadow that gave Raimundo a murderous look, dangerous and ruthless. "That's means you do what I say and I say to fight her!"

"Yawn," Kimiko said, bored. "Are we actually going to fight or are you just going to hand all of the Shen Gong Wu over now?"

"Fight her!" Raimundo said, running towards her again.

"Again with this?" Kimiko scoffed, leaping into the air again. She placed her hands on Raimundo's shoulders, the bended forward so her feet connected with the small of his back. He was thrust forward into the cement wall of the temple. "Look, boy, just because I work with Spicey over there now doesn't mean I've forgotten anything about you guys. I still know all of your weaknesses. I can win against all of you guys."

"We'll see about that!" Omi shouted at her, finally springing into action. The dots on his forehead lit up as he called upon his element and attacked her. "Tornado Strike: Water!" He spun around in the air, trying to hit her from all angles, but to no avail. She was able to block every punch, every kick, every blow.

Suddenly, the ground started to split underneath them, two sections spreading more and more apart from each other. Kimiko lost her balance and fell, and Raimundo and Omi found the time to strike. Clay hadn't moved an inch from where he'd been standing when he and Raimundo had been arguing, but his stance was that of his Seismic Kick and he looked furious.

"Kimiko, even though you are fighting against us, I must know, why?" Omi asked. "Why are you on the Heylin side now? Its obviously not where you belong!"

"Pfft, can it, chrome dome, I know this speech already. Remember, when I tried to get Rai to stop being a traitor?" Kimiko scoffed. "Only difference is that it won't work on me. I'm not a sap."

Raimundo swung at her and she ducked, but he grabbed her wrist and tried to kick her, yet she avoided it again.

"But for what reason are you on the Heylin? I must know!" Omi yelled, still trying to strike her.

"I just needed a change of pace," Kimiko said. "Plus, working for Jacky pays pretty well, in more ways than one."

"Huh?" Omi said, utterly confused, so much so that he stood still for a second, which was all Kimiko needed to knock the wind out of him.

"Well, money, of course, but also," her lips curled into a malicious, mocking sneer and she said, "I get to work with such a cutie all the time."

"Ah!" Clay finally spoke. "That's it! He's definitely done something to her head!"

"Of course! Kimiko's always found Jack Spicer to be repulsive and overall creepy!" Omi agreed. "Plus, he's the only one arrogant enough to make her say that!"

"You guys are jerks!" Jack said defensively, as it seemed he'd finally woken up. "I'm not a creep! And Kimiko certainly doesn't think that now! Isn't that right, Kimi?"

"Kimi?" Clay and Omi groaned at the same time, disgusted.

"Of course not! You're so sexy, Jacky!" Kimiko giggled, blowing him a kiss. Omi pretended to gag.

"Cut the crap, Spicer!" Raimundo yelled. "What did you do to her?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!" Jack said, cackling maniacally. Then he made a face and said, "Well, I'm not gonna tell you, so nyeah!"

"Aw, you're so cute when you're grossly immature!" Kimiko cooed.

"Good thing that's what he's best at," Clay said. Omi snickered, but their celebration didn't last long. Kimiko was already back on the offensive, her cheeks pink with anger. Her voice shook with every punch she threw their way.

"Don't-make-fun-of-my-Jacky!" she yelled, her screams only interrupted by her angry strikes.

She continued to fight her way through the monks' line of defense, but only because the boys were having trouble bringing themselves to fight back against the petite girl. Even as she fought them with all her strength, she seemed so fragile and delicate. Clay was her current target and he wasn't doing well.

She threw punches and kicks at him continuously, but all he could do was block her strikes with his large hands.

"Come on, you big tub of lard!" Kimiko growled, annoyed with his hesitance. "Fight back!"

"Now I don't know how much of our old Kimiko is still in there, but you should still damn well know that I cannot, do not, and will not hit and/or fight a girl!" Clay said.

Kimiko sighed. "You stupid boys and your misogynist ideas! Trying to be the big hero or whatever. I don't know if you've noticed, but none of us have even broken a sweat yet! You're not trying, so I'm not trying! Don't go easy on me because I'm a girl!" Kimiko said irritably, then she took her stance again and waited for the boys.

"What?!" Jack said, his face twisted into a look of pure shock and a touch of disappointment.

"You're holding back!? No! Its okay! I approve of you using all of your strength against these losers! You will definitely show your strength as a able-bodied woman if you fight the hell harder!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Kimiko snapped, starting to fight again. "I won't kick their asses until they actually put up a fight!"

"Yes!" Omi cried happily. "See? Our Kimiko still dwells within that shell! I knew we could still trust her!"

"I don't know about trusting her, but you're definitely right about our li'l dame still being inside of that there body," Clay said, lifting the rim of his hat out of his eyes. "She's just as much of a feminist as ever."

"Blade of the Nebula!" Raimundo yelled, calling upon the power of his own Wudai weapon. A tremendous gust bowled itself into both the Xiaolin and Heylin warriors. Debris flew in all directions and Kimiko was swept backwards onto her back, grunting. Jack Spicer tried to stand his ground, but, as most things in his life, proved unsuccessful and he was thrown back, having to use a nearby tree as a bolster. When the winds finally settled down, Raimundo was standing in the clearing, his brow furrowed. In one hand was his Wudai weapon, the glass-like blade was now transformed into a pair of nunchaku. In his other hand were his two teammates Wudai weapons, Clay's Big Bang Meteorang and Omi's Shimo Staff.

Without a word he tossed the weapons to his teammates. Then he said, "She wants a legitimate fight, then let's give her one."

"But Raimundo, we can't possibly use our Wudai weapons against Kimiko!" Omi protested, waving the small chunk of ice around. "Its not fair!"

"Then what do you suggest we do? Let her work under Jack Spicer for the rest of her life?" Raimundo said venomously. Omi flinched, then dropped his head and shook it, ashamed. Raimundo's eyes softened, although the expression on his face was still hard and cold.

Omi still looked unsure, but Clay consoled him. "It'll be alright, li'l buddy, we're not using our Elemental Shen Gong Wu, so it won't be so bad!" Omi looked up at his Texan friend, who smiled. Omi smiled back, then turned to the Japanese girl.

"Oh, God, just stop with the ABC Family crap, will ya?" Jack scoffed, finally standing up from where he'd originally been cowering on the ground. "Just fight, Kimiko!"

"Got it," Kimiko growled. She charged at her friends, although Omi and Clay didn't seem to be her main targets. She jumped stealthily and easily over them, it was as if she'd grown wings and flown over them. When she got to Raimundo, she finally started fighting again.

"You know, its not very nice to exclude others," Raimundo sneered, blocking her, and trying to hit her with his nunchaku.

"I don't know, for some reason I feel like you deserve _special_ attention," Kimiko smirked as she dodged his attack. Clay and Omi were coming at her from behind now, trying to distract her. When Raimundo was finally able to push her off of him, all three of them wound back to strike her all at once. But she jumped in the air, landing lightly on both Clay and Raimundo's shoulders (she wasn't able to reach Omi, poor kid.) She flipped backward off of them and said, "You know, you might as well just face it."

The three stood, waiting for her next move. But instead, she lowered her arms and chuckled mockingly.

"Face the fact that I'm never going to come back to your side," she said. "I've changed and you've lost."

"Like hell we have!" Clay shouted at the girl, throwing the boomerang-like weapon at her and Jack. Kimiko ducked, but Jack didn't and the boomerang slammed right into his stomach.

"J-Jack-bots, annihilate the losers," Jack groaned hoarsely.

The robots came at them, lasers sticking out of their metal chests, buzzing with energy. They descended at them from all directions, surrounding the monks and closing in. Kimiko stayed back, watching smugly as the robots closed in on her former teammates. But her rest didn't last long, because she heard a faint humming coming from behind her, then a terrible pain in the small of her back.

Kimiko's screams pierced the night, drawing everyone's attention to where she was now collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain.

"What the hell?!" Raimundo glared at the Jack-bot that was floating where Kimiko had been standing seconds before, a taser sticking out of his metallic chest, the mini-stun gun growling viciously.

"O-oops," Jack said, blushing innocently as he examined a tiny screen that he'd pulled from his pocket. "I forgot to program them not to attack Kimiko anymore."

"What the hell, Jack?!" Clay shouted angrily, quickly chorused thereafter by Wuya's hissing of, "You bumbling buffoon! What is wrong with you?!"

"I forgot!" Jack said defensively. "It could've happened to anyone!"

"No!" Clay said. "Normal people don't make their friends betray their friends and then forget to program their killer robots _not_ to attack said traitor."

"I cannot think of _anyone_ who does that besides Jack Spicer," Omi agreed.

"Wait!" Wuya yelled, her ghostly eyes conveying the courtyard. "Where is the girl and the Mexican boy?!"

Raimundo fought back the urge to yell, "I'm freakin' Brazilian, bitch hag!" and held the Japanese girl close to him as they waited in silence behind a shadowy wall. His hand was over the lower half of her face, just in case she woke up and started to run her mouth.

"Quickly, you fool, before he gets away!" Wuya hissed at her goth partner, who was also searching frantically around the courtyard. "He must've taken her somewhere! Search this entire temple!"

Clay, who had now caught on, turned to his short, bald comrade. "Omi! Rai must've taken Kimiko somewhere safe while we were still fighting. We have to do everything we can to keep her from finding both of them," he whispered urgently to the Water monk.

"My sentiments, exactly, friend Clay,"Omi agreed, nodding eagerly. "Let's get rid of Jack Spicer and then we can help Kimiko."

Clay smirked smugly and said, "Easy as pie." He cracked his knuckles and sprinted towards the nervous-looking Heylin.

_Nice, Clay! _Raimundo thought gratefully. _But the question now is where to go with her_. He looked back down at the frail-looking-but-not-at-all-frail girl and sighed. _This is way more difficult than it needs to be._ He stood up and cradled the Fire guardian gently in his arms and scanned around. Then, he ran off silently.

"Jack! Find that girl and the idiot boy! Forget the other monks, just go!"Wuya growled.

"Hey, its not like I'm just sitting on my ass here, clown head!" Jack whined, calling on more of his Jack-bots to attack the monks. "Its not like you can't do anything to help!"

"Actually, I can't, you incompetent boob!" Wuya sighed. "I am a ghost! I have no hands!"

"Be that as it may, you could still try and find where Kimiko and Raimundo are," Jack said.

"Ugh, very well," Wuya groaned, then flew off to find her prey.

Raimundo was still within earshot of the group behind him and he quickened his pace. If Wuya found him, she and Jack would be on them in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, with Kimiko's added weight, he was at a loss and having trouble going fast enough to outrun the specter woman.

_How long do I have before she finds me?!_ Rai thought frantically. _How far away will I be able to get her?_

"W-What the hell?!" Kimiko stirred, then groaned back to life and looked around, dazed. "Where am I?"

_Apparently, not very far,_ Rai thought, exasperated and starting to develop a sweat on his brow.

"Uh, Kimiko?" Raimundo moaned. "I need you to, um, be kinda quiet, 'kay?"

"Wait, what?!" Kimiko looked around worriedly for a second, then she started to squirm and flail. "Let me go!"

"No!" Rai said firmly. "And besides, you shouldn't move so much. You've been shocked in your back three times."

Kimiko hadn't seemed to notice the pain in her back until Raimundo mentioned and it all rushed to her in one painful jolt. She flinched and then groaned in pain and collapsed back against Rai's arm.

"Stupid girl," Raimundo sighed, looking down at her. "Never listens to what anyone tells you."

"Shut up!" Kimiko sprang back up, then felt the pain and recoiled again. "I don't have to listen to you! You're the one who screwed everything up and now you're fighting against me."

"Yeah, I noticed," Raimundo said, suddenly pissed. "And I really want to know why that is."

"Do you really want me to recap?" Kimiko said, her voice hoarse with pain. "You kissed me, then chased me around the temple, then bet me in a Xiaolin Showdown, then lost. Satisfied?"

"Its getting really hard to tell whether you're the regular Kimiko or not," Raimundo said, a hint of a smirk creeping onto his tan face.

Kimiko looked at him with a sarcastic smile on her face, then screamed. Raimundo looked around, panicked, praying to the God of Gods that she wouldn't be heard. Without any other alternative, he covered her mouth with his hand, leaving her muffled.

"Mmmph!" Kimiko tried to shriek through Raimundo's hand, but to no avail, although she continued to squirm.

"Do you ever shut up?" Raimundo snapped.

Kimiko let out a series of complicated muffled grunts and glared up at him angrily.

"I'll take that as a no," Raimundo said.

Kimiko grabbed at his hand and tried to remove it from her face, but his grip was tight on her.

"Okay, time to stop," Rai moaned. "Just cut it out, I'm trying to help you here."

Kimiko was finally able to pry Raimundo's hand away and said, "I'm not asking for your help, Raimundo. I'm asking to be let go!"

"Not gonna happen," Raimundo growled.

"I'll scream again, I'm not kidding, you creep!" Kimiko growled. "And then they'll come and get me."

"You sound like a child," Raimundo scoffed. "What exactly did Jack do to you?" he said to himself.

Kimiko growled, then started shouting, "That's it! Jack! Wuya! Help! I'm behind the main building! Help me! Help me please!"

"Hey, that's enough, shut up!" Raimundo said, starting to get angry. Then he looked around and then sighed. Then without another word, he pressed his lips fiercely against the girl's.

Kimiko's eyes widened, then she started pounding on his back angrily. She groaned against his mouth, trying to talk, but she was yet again muffled.

Raimundo released her from his kiss and looked down at her, his thick eyebrows narrowed angrily.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Kimiko screamed at him, her face red and she was wiping her lips off. "You big pervert! What was that supposed to do?"

"

It shut you up, didn't it?" Rai said, his eyes narrowed scornfully down at her.

"No, not really," Kimiko sneered, then she started to suck in her breath like she was about to scream again.

"No need, my little cherub,:" Jack said, floating inches above the roof of the building that Raimundo'd been hiding behind. "I'm already here."

Raimundo expected an excited, girl squeak from Kimiko, but received nothing. She was being uncharacteristically quiet and still.

"Give me back my prize, Pedrosa!" Jack said, pointing a pale finger at Raimundo.

"Like hell I will! She's not 'your's' Spicer! And she definitely is _not_ a prize!" Raimundo snapped back.

"Whatever. Jack-bots!" another tiny army of the metal monsters had now emerged from behind them and they were preparing another attack. Then, the robots started firing lasers at Raimundo, who was still holding Kimiko.

"Are you nuts?!" Raimundo yelled up at Jack while dodging, although having much difficulty with the added weight. "You'll hit both of us!"

"Exactly!" Jack said, his lip curled up in a mocking sneer. "And the quicker you give her back, the less danger she's in."

"Your history says opposite, asshole!" Raimundo said, stumbling over his feet as he tried to swing both of their bodies clear of another beam.

"Jack, you fool, you'll hurt the girl!" Wuya snapped. "She's an important asset to have for our plan."

"Please, Casper," Jack said, turning away from his partner and watching the show down below. "I know what I'm doing."

"Since _when_ do you have any rational idea what the hell you're doing?" Wuya said, astounded that he'd even said that.

"Just shut up and watch," Jack said.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" Wuya said, folding her intangible arms over her intangible chest. "You have absolutely no idea what you're doing."

"Hey! I resent that!" Jack said.

"Of course you do," Wuya said.

Meanwhile, Raimundo was still trying desperately to dodge the rays, but he was started to feel light-headed and the beams were showing no signs of stopping. Kimiko was still motionless in his grasp, she might as well have been unconscious. _Why isn't she moving?! We're both gonna get killed if one of us doesn't do something soon._ He yelped helplessly as a stray beam grazed by his shoulder, ripping the entire left side of his shirt clean off.

"I made some upgrades to the lasers on my bots," Jack said matter-of-factly. "You like?"

"Not really," Rai said, trying not the think about the pain emanating from the burn on his shoulder.

"Big Bang Meteorang!" the large boomerang-like weapon twirled through the front like of attacking robots. He caught the weapon as it flew back to him, then he regarded the Dragon of Wind. "Rai, you alright?"

"Peachy," Raimundo growled.

"Ugh, great, it's the bean sprout and the bumpkin," Jack muttered to himself. "Come to help Greencard, have you?"

"Bean sprout?" Omi cried.

"Bumpkin?!" Clay yelled.

"GREENCARD?!"Raimundo exploded.

"Jack Spicer, I strongly advise you to position your posterior strictly outside of the vicinity forthwith!" Omi said, pointing his yellow finger at the levitating goth.

"Translation?" Jack said irritably.

"Get your slimy li'l ass out of our temple before we kick it!" Clay said. He threw his Meteorang at Jack, but the flying "genius" swung his body out of the way of the Meteorang and called on more robots.

At this point in time, Kimiko finally seemed to remember that she was the center of this whole ordeal and she started to try to squirm her way out of Raimundo's grip. Raimundo looked down at her as she squirmed and grunted (but still said nothing) and watched her with a quiet intensity. He was reluctant to let her down, almost as if he didn't want to let her go (he didn't). He wanted to keep her close to him, forever, so that nothing like this ever happened to her again. But he knew he had to, so he loosened his grip and she pushed away from him.

The second Kimiko's feet hit the ground, there was a standstill in the fighting. All eyes were on her, their breath held in waiting, all focus on her every move. So, naturally, every flinched when she turned on her heel and darted off away from the fight.

For a second, Raimundo actually contemplated going after her, but then he considered his history with that sort of thing and decided to stay put. Jack, on the other hand, had other ideas. He steered his heli-bot after her, getting ready to strike.

"Hey, come back here!" Clay yelled. "Omi, he's going for Kim! Stop him!"

"Working on it!" Omi said, fighting off another pack of oncoming robots.

"Big Bang Meteorang!" Clay said, throwing his Wudai weapon at Jack.

Jack called on yet another line of robots, smiling darkly. "This time, when I find her, she's going straight back to the lab. It appears that there are a few bugs we need to work out."

Meanwhile, Kimiko ran as fast as she could for the second time that night, trying to get as far away as she could from Raimundo Pedrosa. He'd kissed her. AGAIN!!! And for some reason, Kimiko couldn't handle it. Her face was red and her forehead was dotted with sweat, her breath was coming in short bursts.

She felt embarrassed and excited at the same time, a combination of emotions that was unknown to this Kimiko. Her thoughts were beginning to cloud and she didn't know what she was supposed to think, let alone do. But all she knew was that she'd never, _ever_ felt anything like that when she kissed Jack Spicer.

As she continued to run, all she saw and could see was his face. Raimundo, Raimundo, Raimundo! No matter where she looked, no matter where her mind wandered, it always went right back to Raimundo. She saw his smiling face when she blinked, his own emerald eyes full of joy, his tan skin glowing with ecstasy.

Kimiko then found herself wanting to be the cause of that happiness, that glee. She wanted to be with Raimundo, making him laugh, making him smile. So.... why was she fighting him? Why was she being forced to hurt him?

She finally couldn't run anymore and she stopped, grasping her heaving chest as she sank to her knees. '_That's it... I want it to end. I can't do this anymore,' _She thought to herself as she panted. '_I don't want to hurt my friend anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want-'_

Kimiko finally couldn't take it anymore and, mind control or not, broke down into hysterical sobs.

"What is it that you want, child?" a raspy, greedy voice sounded inside of her head. Kimiko eyes snapped up. She looked around for any sign of the she-specter, but found nothing. She decided that it must've been her imagination.

"No, child, its me," Wuya cackled. Then, Kimiko realized with horror that Wuya was inside her head. But that's impossible! Kimiko had seen Wuya back at the fight right before she'd taken off. How...?

"Its Jack's device, deary," Wuya said. "I am now in control. Now you take orders from me."

"No..." Kimiko said, her head pounding.

"Yes," Wuya sneered, giggling evilly. "Now, you will tell me what is bothering you." Kimiko could vaguely tell that Wuya was trying to make her voice sound curious, almost understanding and failing miserably at it.

"No!" Kimiko tried to direct her mind away from him, to try to think of anything but the man who was painted all over her mind and on the inside of her eyelids.

Kimiko shivered as she realized that Wuya was reaching into her subconscious, probing for the source of the problem.

"Oh, my," Wuya seemed to chuckle mockingly. "Well, isn't this interesting."

"Wha-?" Kimiko was slowly realizing what was happening. "Don't-" She tried to keep Wuya from saying it, thinking that somehow that would make it so that she didn't know.

"You're in love with the Pedrosa boy," Wuya started cackling.

"No!" Kimiko sobbed, mortified. Why? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't she just have gone on living as she had?

"Oh, how adorable!" Wuya mocked, thoroughly enjoying Kimiko's anguish. "Well, now we will test just how much he means to you."

 "What are you t-talking about?" Kimiko stuttered.

"I have yet another proposition for you," Wuya said. "I will tell Jack to call off the attack and we will leave you alone for the time being. Your friends will be safe, Raimundo will be safe, _you_ will be safe. But--" Kimiko could see the evil glint that appeared in Wuya's eyes as she started to grin like a small child. "You will have to forget all of your feelings for your friend."

"What?!" Kimiko was dumbfounded.

"Oh, don't worry, dear. You won't feel a thing. You won't remember anything after the day before yesterday," Wuya said.

The day before yesterday? That would take her back to before this whole ordeal had started. But to forget about her feelings for Raimundo? Before she'd even had a chance to tell him? No, it would hurt too much. Even worse, it would hurt her and she wouldn't know why.

But on the other hand, if she forgot, her feelings would never get in the way of them again. They'd be best friends again, everything would be back to normal.

 But it really wouldn't be. Raimundo would still remember the kiss. And what about the second time? What had that meant? Was he just messing with her again? If she lost her memory, she would have no way of knowing, ever.

"No deal, hag," Kimiko said, suddenly realizing the pounding that was taking place in between her ears. "I... can't do that."

"Oh, how daring of the young girl to put her love first," Wuya almost sounded approving. "Not very chivalrous."

 "I don't do chivalry," Kimiko groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Very well then," Wuya shrugged indifferently, then said, "I will just wipe all of your memory then."

"You can do that?" Kimiko said, then immediately realized how clueless she sounded.

"Yes, child," Wuya said. "With that device of Jack's, your mind has been placed into a state of vulnerability. Its as easy to manipulate as putty. And with your mind in that state, I can control it at my will."

"You mean, control my body?" Kimiko asked, astonished.

"Precisely, darling," Wuya said.

"What could you want with my body?"

"Not much," Wuya said, but her eyes were narrowed into mischievous slits. "I would probably just use it to destroy your friends."

"What?" Kimiko said, angrily. "What makes you think you'll be able to control me anyway? If my mind is as vulnerable as you say it is, then why am I still able to function so well?"

"That is a mystery even to me, my dear," Wuya said, shaking her head. "I have no idea what happens with Jack's inventions, but all I know is that this conversation is over. Say goodbye to all of your memories, child."

Then, without another word, the old specter phased through her head and entered her mind.

And just as the last inch of her ghostly tail entered her head, Kimiko blacked out. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed onto the ground.

Before she'd even been taken over, Kimiko had realized that she was at a hard place. She had been stuck between her old self, and the self that Jack had programmed for her. She knew what was going on what wrong, but she didn't do anything about it. She wanted to stop it, but she just didn't. She admired Jack, but loved Raimundo.

Kimiko suddenly woke up; or at least it felt like it. She felt awake, but she wasn't in her body. But if not there, then where was she?

Wherever she was, Kimiko was surrounded by darkness. There wasn't a speck of light to be seen, but for some reason, she could see, although there really was nothing to see. Wherever she was was entirely empty except for her. But even as she stood, alone and confused in her subconscious, Kimiko felt a lingering sense of danger.

Then, without warning, her head started to pound like a drum. She gasped in pain and grabbed her head as the pain brought her to her knees. But even through her sudden, splitting headache, she heard a voice loud and clear.

"I must go back and finish what I started."

Who was saying that? The voice sounded familiar, very familiar, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't place who the voice belonged to.

"Yes, I must go back and help Jack defeat those Xiaolins," the voice hissed.

Kimiko's mind reeled. Who was this voice? It wasn't Wuya's, so whose was it?

"No, no, I don't want to!" Kimiko yelled back at the voice, unsure of whether it made a difference if she responded or not. However, it became clear that it did when the voice started to talk again.

"But why not? Were you not humiliated by them? Or rather, were you not humiliated by _Raimundo?_" the voice sounded as if it was smiling, realizing that it had struck a nerve with Kimiko.

"I don't care what happened with him," Kimiko said. "I-I don't know why but I don't want to hurt him!"

"And why not?" the voice said. "That would be payment for what he did to you, wouldn't it?"

"But he didn't do anything wrong! He didn't mean to..." Kimiko trailed off, not sure what he didn't mean to do. What did he do that was so wrong again? She couldn't remember.

"What?" the other voice said. "Mess with your head when he kissed you? Chase you all around the temple while you were naked? Bet you in a Xiaolin Showdown and _lose?_"

Kimiko thought about this. He did do all of those things and he did humiliate her... She should have her own little revenge, shouldn't she? Wait, no! Her mind was tricking her!

"No, he didn't do anything wrong!" Kimiko said.

"I think we should do this, Kimiko. I think we should have our revenge," the voice said.

"What do you have to do with any of this?" Kimiko yelled.

 "Me? I have everything to do with this!" the voice chuckled.

"How? Who are you?"

 "I'm you."


	5. Chapter 5

1Kimiko's Dilemma part 5

Raimundo's mind was reeling now. So much had happened in such a short time. There were so many things he didn't know that he really wanted to know. But unfortunately, he had no time to worry about that right now. He was with his teammates, fighting off round after round of Jack-bots.

Raimundo looked up at Jack, who was floating above all of the action with his heli-bot. By the look on his face, Rai could tell that he must be getting to somewhere near the end of his rope. He wasn't calling on more Jack-bots, so they must be nearing the end of them.

"Reaching the end of your rope, huh, partner?" Clay asked mockingly, confirming that he'd also noticed Jack's sudden hesitation.

"You wish!" Jack said, but his face didn't show the confidence that was evident in his voice. "Don't think you'll win so easily!"

"We will not stop fighting until our friend Kimiko is back with us, safe and sound," Omi said, shaking his fist at the Heylin triumphantly.

"Heh, well, lots of luck to you, then," Jack smirked. "Considering you get your little buddy back-which you won't!-you're gonna have a hell of a time bringing her back to your side."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Raimundo said, suddenly curious as to Jack's true intentions. "Why did you want Kimiko in the first place? You've tried this plan before and it failed. Why would you try it again?"

"Well, the last time I tried this, when I 'failed'-" he put air quotes around the word "failed," as if to say he hadn't really failed at all (which he had.) "I realized that that plan had many holes."

"Yes! It was clear as crystal, Jack Spicer!" Omi said.

"Just like every other 'plan' you conjure up in your moronic, little head," Raimundo said.

"Well, this time, I used the real, honest-to-God Kimiko," Jack said. "And she agreed to help with my plan. Shows how much she _really_ cares about you losers."

"Kimiko would never do that!" Omi said, still looking hurt all the same.

"Kimiko is way too stubborn to give up that easily. We could barely get her to work together with _us_ when she'd first gotten here. She'd never agree to anything like that," Raimundo said. The others look surprised when they turned to face him, thrown off guard by his nonchalant stab at Kimiko's "independent" nature. Raimundo was perfectly aware of what he'd said, but he'd decided long ago that he was the only one who could tease his teammate. Anyone else who _dared_ to speak of her negatively would be beaten to a pulp swiftly and painfully.

"I admire your trust in your friend, but what I say is the truth," Jack smirked. "She is mine now and nothing you can say will change that." Jack threw his pale head back and cackled, but his gloating was interrupted when he heard a slight sound to his right. "She's my bitch now."

The second Jack looked down, Raimundo's fist connected with his cheek, sending him spiraling to the ground. Jack's head was hazy and his head was spinning. The pain in his jaw would only be duplicated if he were to be hit by a mallet, and tears stung his eyes as he attempted to look up at his attacker.

Raimundo's face was what some might call terrifying. His eyes were narrowed dangerously and his emeralds had a furious glint in them. His lip was curled back into a wicked snarl.

"Don't you _ever_…." He paused and took a deep breath that was so ragged with rage it sounded like Rai's throat was lined with glass. "-call her that."

"Wha-"

"How dare you!" Raimundo said, winding back to hit him again. He was about to swing, but his arm was stopped in mid-air. Clay and Omi had grabbed his arm (although Omi was just hanging on Raimundo's arm), holding him back.

"Rai, you need to calm down. He's not worth it," Clay said.

"Yes! Violence is not the answer!" Omi said. Strange thing for a Xiaolin kung-fu warrior to say.

"Yeah, but it'll feel good!" Rai said, trying to wriggle free of their grasp.

But before he could do anything else, a piercing shriek pierced the night air, stilling everyone's hearts for a second, and then sent them pounding.

"That's Kimiko!" Omi yelped, scared. "Where is she?"

"Anyone seen Wuya?" Jack added, mostly to himself.

Without another word, Raimundo bolted off in the direction of the girl's screams, followed closely behind by Clay and Omi, Jack bringing up the rear.

"Get out of my head!" Kimiko squealed, inside her own head, clutching her throbbing skull. _I don't understand it. Why was this happening? I don't want to,,,_

"Your head?" the other Kimiko chuckled. "You should really check the scoreboard, child. Who's the one talking to herself?"

"Stop with your jokes!" Kimiko snapped, however in doing so made her head throb harder. "Get out of my head!"

"Its not really your head anymore," the voice said. "In fact, its not really anyone's head. Your body is just an empty vessel now."

Kimiko straightened a little at that. "Wha… What do you mean?"

"I _mean_, you're only here because somehow you were able to get past Wuya and get here. Right now, you're just floating around in your subconscious, caught between nowhere and nothing."

"Wha- No!" Kimiko said, shaking her head, bringing another jab of pain to her temples. "I don't want to-!"

"Don't want to what? Disappear?" the other Kimiko said. The voice cackled. "Darling, I'm afraid that has long since past. You are gone forever."

Kimiko said nothing, listening in despair as her voice taunted her.

"Once you get to this state, there's no way you can return to your body. You are gone. All that's standing between your body and me is you. You're never going to be able to go back, so you might as well just give up."

"No! I will never give up," Kimiko said, more to herself than, well, herself.

"Oh, why not? It'll make both of our journeys a hell of a lot easier," the other voice practically whined.

"Because I'm not going to believe that this is over," she said. "There has got to be a way to return to my old self. And I'm not going to give up until that happens."

"Ugh, why do you keep this up, human? You're just hurting yourself," she said. "Who cares about Raimundo? Its not like he could possibly care for you."

Kimiko didn't want to hear what her voice had to say, but for some reason, she just couldn't escape it.

"He's just the smart-ass kid who thought he could have a good time by messing with the first girl he saw. That's how guys are, sweetie. That's how they _all_ are."

"I don't believe you! There's no way..." Kimiko trailed off, her mind wandering back to the moment Rai had lost the Showdown. She was being spirited away by their arch-enemies and he had done nothing to stop them. He'd just stood there as they took her. He didn't help, he didn't fight for her... He didn't care.

"See? He's just a guy. Guys barely ever take anything seriously. They think that girls are just their little play things that they can manipulate and screw with until they get bored, then they just throw them aside and find a new toy. Raimundo no different than any other guy. It's the circle of life, kid. About time you learned it," the other voice stated bluntly.

"But Raimundo wouldn't..." Kimiko's real mind couldn't find any more ways to argue against the other side. Raimundo had humiliated her. _Her?!_ How dare he! He was just an insensitive pig. Its about time he got his.

But there was always that little voice in the background, not really connected to Kimiko, but still trying to get through to her.

_No! Raimundo is my friend! Sure, he hurt me once... or twice or.... But he didn't mean it! You've got to fight it!_

But Kimiko couldn't fight back anymore. Slowly, ever so slowly, her other side was overshadowing her. She couldn't think of anymore arguments, and that little voice in the back was just a faint, almost inaudible whisper.

"Kimiko, if you let yourself go and let me take over, all the pain will be over. We will get revenge on that wretched boy. Won't you like that? Wouldn't you like to see him suffer? After all he put you through? He deserves it. Just let yourself go, Kimiko. Just let it all go," the voice spoke in a calm, relaxing voice, egging Kimiko on. And it was working.

And slowly, she was beginning to forget what had happened and what she was trying to fight against.

What kiss? I don't remember. He bet me in a what? Xiaolin Dragon? What is that? Omi who_? _Clay who? Raimundo _who?_

It was almost all gone. Kimiko could feel herself disappearing, but she didn't care. She couldn't even feel what was going on. She was detached, unaware, ignorant.

"You know... you're my best friend, right?" a small, frail voice trickled to her ears. She was leaving herself, but the sound still traveled to her ears. And the instant that sound hit her, she perked up.

"More than anyone... even back home in Rio," the voice continued. What was that voice? It was smooth and familiar, hearing it made her feel safe. But no matter what, the owner of that voice just wouldn't appear to her. The face just wouldn't return to her.

"Kimiko, they were threatening you, I had no other choice!" the voice sound angry now. Angry and worried. This time, the sound of the voice made Kimiko's heart hurt. Why? What was this voice that gave her such a feeling of ecstasy and heartbreak at the same time?

"W-Who is that?" Kimiko spoke, but her voice sound raspy and low, like she was losing it. She suddenly returned to herself and she realized how much this all hurt. She could feel herself going away and it caused her immense pain. But no matter what, she had to find out who this was. She didn't know why, but for some reason, finding out who this voice belonged to was more important to her than anything ever.

"I think I'm Raimundo. In fact, I don't think, I know," the voice said, echoing as it faded.

"Raimundo?" the name sound familiar and the very mention of it sent chills down her spine. Good chills. Yes, Raimundo! She knew him! But from where?

"Kimiko," the sound of this Raimundo's voice echoed over and over in her head, calling her to him, but she couldn't voice, she couldn't reach out to this voice.

"Raimundo..." she said again, slowly regaining a picture in her head. First, she saw the chocolate-colored hair and the mocha-colored skin that coincided perfectly with it. The skin glowed with a beauty that she couldn't comprehend, and she felt like she didn't need to. Next, came the emerald crystals that he was famous for, the forest green gems that sparkled like stars, even in the darkest of times. Then, finally, the rest of his face materialized, laughing, smiling, looking all around elated. But the face was still faint, transparent, empty. The faint sound of his rich, hearty laughter lapped at her ears. But she wanted more! She wanted to bask in that wonderful sound.

"Raimundo..." Kimiko moaned, feeling everything come back to her suddenly in a rush. A rush so hard that she regained her pounding headache.

"Raimundo... is my.... friend?" Yes! A friend! But from where? How did she know him?

The picture became a little more clear and the sound became louder.

"Raimundo and I are friends... we met...." she struggled to remember, but just trying to remember back that far caused her headache to escalate into a migraine.

"Ai, girl, you look like a kid's dress-up box threw up on you," Raimundo said, the voice dripping with sarcasm.

Okay, that's not exactly what Kimiko would call a particularly happy memory, but she was happy to remember a little more.

"We are friends because we...." her mind went back to Raimundo's speech about her being his best friend. They were... training! Yes! They were training because they were.... Xiaolin Warriors together.

She'd figured out who the voice was! Raimundo Pedrosa, her best friend and teammate. But why was it so important to remember him?

"No! What are you doing? Don't you want your revenge, you fool?" Kimiko's detached voice screamed.

"Revenge? For what? On who?" Kimiko asked, looking around for the source of the disembodied voice.

"On Raimundo! For kissing you!" the other Kimiko screamed.

Raimundo, Clay, and Omi were running, scouring every inch of the courtyard of the vast temple, trying to find their fellow Dragon, Jack at their heels. Although not admitting it, he was also searching for Kimiko from the air, worried.

They all strained their ears, trying to hear any sign of Kimiko, another shriek, a moan, a whisper. But there was nothing. Silence.

After searching around the temple almost twice, Clay finally found her, hidden in a dark corner between two walls. She was lying on the ground, her arms and legs splayed limply and uselessly. Clay's mouth was hanging open for a few seconds, but then he closed it and his eyes fell to his feet.

"Clay! Clay, have you found any sign of our friend-" Omi ran up next to him, unaware, and Clay wished he'd been able to warn Omi before his saw her. And the instant he did, Omi's eyes widened. "Clay… Clay, what's wrong with her? Why does she look so… so…" Clay just shook his head, telling Omi that he didn't need to finish his question.

"Raimundo will not like this at all," Omi said, his voice cracking.

"What won't I like?" Raimundo said, walking up behind his friends.

"Um… well… its…." Omi tried to explain but Clay put his hand on his shoulder. Then, he pointed towards Kimiko's limp form.

The second Raimundo saw her, Jack flew up behind the group, confused. He was about to say something, but then his eyes landed on the petite, motionless form of the Japanese girl, he shut his mouth quickly. This was his fault, wasn't it?

He turned, glancing once back towards the sad group, then started to fly away.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Suddenly, a wall of hardened, dark earth burst up out of the ground right in front of where Jack's copter was heading, and he wasn't able to steer away, so he slammed right into the wall.

Then, as he fell, a powerful gale of wind twirled Jack through the air until he was upside-down facing the ground. Then, the gust disappeared and he dropped heavily to the ground.

Raimundo and Clay were standing by Jack's head when he fell, staring down at him with a murderous look that could only be topped if Jack had killed their families.

"What is wrong with her?" Raimundo growled.

Jack lifted his head off of the ground and groaned, "How should I know? I'm just as clueless as you are. I just walked up now too."

"You're not bull-shitting your way out of this one," the Brazilian growled darkly. "What's the matter with her?"

At that moment, the violet spector Wuya emerged from Kimiko's lifeless body.

"Wuya!" Jack said, his eyes widening as if he suddenly understood what was going on, then he changed his expression quickly. But it was too late, the Xiaolins had noticed.

"Wuya! What did you do to her?" Raimundo practically snarled.

"Nothing! Really!" Wuya said defensively, her raspy voice hinting some guilt. "All I did was overshadow her for a second and then she became a completely empty vessel."

"WHAT?!" the three boys all shrieked at once.

"Wuya! I told you not to overshadow her while she's in this state!" Jack said, then the look on his face said he instantly regretted it. He smacked his hand over his mouth.

"What _state_?" Clay asked angrily.

"Well, its just that, well…"

Jack was hoisted up by his collar and was forced to look right into the forest green eyes of the Wind Dragon.

"Start explaining."

"H-He kissed me?" Kimiko felt a dark blush coming to her pale cheeks as the words brushed past her lips. "W-Why is that such a problem?"

"Because he doesn't mean it," her other voice said. "He just wanted to mess with you. You don't mean anything to him."

"No, t-that's not true. Raimundo is my… friend," she moaned as the pain in her head intensified again.

"Why would you want to return to someone who doesn't care for you and would only want to hurt you?" the voice taunted.

"But he does care!"

"And how exactly would you know, child?" the other Kimiko said doubtfully. "Your mind is just telling you what you want to hear. You have no idea whether he cares for you or not."

"But I-I care…" Kimiko mumbled.

"What?" the other voice said, obviously not having heard herself. "I didn't catch that!" She shouted forcefully and angrily at Kimiko, not giving her any choice other than to answer.

"I care about him!" Kimiko shouted. And in an instant, it all came back. "I care about him more than anything! He's my best friend and I… I… love him."

"Love him? You sure are a masochist. This is only going to hurt you!" the voice chuckled. "Maybe I should bring you back to life. I wonder what would hurt you more. Actually dying, or going back to a life where nothing but pain and ignorance waits for you."

"Y-You can send me back? You have the ability to bring me back?" Kimiko looked around again for the source of the voice but found nothing.

"Y-Yes I do. I am you after all. I can do what I please with your body and your mind," the other voice said, as if being able to control something that could be thought to be treading on God's domain was normal.

"Then send me back!"

"Don't wanna," the external voice said, as if she were a child that had just been asked to clean her room.

"Send me back! I don't want to die! I still have-"

"What are you saying, mortal?" the voice chuckled. "A couple of minutes ago you were more than willing to give your life. You were on the verge of disappearing forever until you regained yourself."

"That doesn't matter now! I have to go back now!" Kimiko screamed, her blue eyes sparkling with a new round of tears.

"Why?" the other voice said. Even though she was just a voice, she seemed to be talking with a smile on her face, Kimiko's distress was like music to her ears (non-existent or otherwise.)

"I have to go back because… I have something to live for on the other side!"

"Dead?" the words escaped Raimundo's mouth in the kind of breath one would use to speak his dying wishes. His heart stopped for a second but it seemed like longer and Raimundo didn't breath again for so long that he thought that the next second would be his last. And that would be fine with him.

"How could she be dead?" Clay growled, staring down at the goth teen as he stared at his own feet.

"Well, to put it in scientifically, because her way of thinking changed so suddenly due to… ahem, _outside forces_, her mind was in a very delicate state and anything like a _certain ghost hag overshadowing her_ could possibly cause her nervous system to shut down completely," Jack said, emphasizing only the parts in which he was not to blame.

"So she's dead?!" Raimundo screamed at the red-head, not able to contain himself anymore. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Wait, Raimundo! She's still breathing!" Omi said, his hand underneath Kimiko's nostrils, obviously feeling for any sign of life in his friend.

"What the hell are you talking about then, Spicer?" Raimundo yelled.

"Well, the most likely result is death. The other one is an indefinite state of vegetation," Jack said thoughtfully.

"So there are only two outcomes?!" Clay shouted. "Either she's brain-dead or actually dead?!"

"But I don't want Kimiko to be dead," tears filled Omi's eyes and he looked down sadly at his friend.

Raimundo was shaking. He couldn't believe it. He'd never be able to talk to Kimiko again. He'd never be able to laugh with her again. Argue with her. He'd never be able to be with her.

It was all his fault. He was so stupid.

"You're going to go back to that world where the man you love ignores you?" the other voice asked.

"Every other girl in this world deals with it. I think I should too," Kimiko said, smiling. "Even though there are many other reasons to live on, one of the first reasons is that I don't care if he doesn't love me back. I just want to see him again."

"You're an idiot, just like all humans. You are living on false hopes. Its pathetic really. Just give up," the other Kimiko growled, but there was something like worry in her voice.

"No," the young Japanese girl said.

"What?"

"NO!" Kimiko's hands were suddenly ablaze with a dark, angry fire and her sapphire eyes were narrowed into a scowl. "I don't care if he toys with me. I'm not going to let it end this way." Her lips curled into a smile. "I have something to live for on the other side."

Raimundo shifted his weight so that the body of his best friend rested comfortably in his arms. She looked so innocent; her head was slightly elevated on his elbow and her petite body was folded even smaller in his arms.

He carried her carefully into her bedroom and placed her down gingerly on her cot.

She looked like she was sleeping, her pale face looked so peaceful.

He sat against the wall in her sectioned-off room and stared down at her, but he couldn't bear to look at her. His heart started racing every second he watched her, because he knew she'd probably never wake up again.

_What am I going to do? _He thought miserably. _I-I can't live without her._

He leaned his head back against the wall, tears gathering in his eyes. He closed them and before he knew it, he was asleep.

Kimiko was suddenly surrounded by nothing but darkness. She couldn't move, but she felt herself beginning to stir and everything was coming back to her. Her senses and her feeling returned to her.

Her eyes finally fluttered open but all she saw was darkness. But she could also see the shapes and traits that made up her room. She was back.

She heard a small groan next to her and she sat up, scanning her small room. Raimundo was sitting against her wall, fast asleep. Her heart almost exploded and her face instantly reddened.

She got up on all fours and shuffled her way over to where Ramundo was and looked up at him.

Raimundo moaned a little in his sleep. "Kimiko…"

Kimiko's face turned deep red and she leaned in closer to him. She placed her hand on his face and tapped him gently. "Raimundo." He did nothing. She tapped a little harder. "Raimundo!" Nothing. She groaned a little and sighed. "RAIMUNDO!" She raised her hand and then smacked him across the head as hard as she could. His head flew backward and he toppled down onto the ground.

"Ow!" he moaned sleepily. He rolled over to glare at his attacker, but when he saw who it was his eyes widened and his mocha skin turned pale.

"Kimiko…" he sat up, his eyes shimmering with incredulous tears and he was rubbing his head, even though he didn't feel any pain. "You're… you're…"

She covered his mouth with her hand, her eyes narrowed. She appeared to be contemplating something but she also seemed to be determined about something.

"Look, I know its been a crazy day and you're exhausted and I'm exhausted and I probably have no idea what I'm saying right now since I was just about to die but I'm just gonna say it now. I love you, okay?" Both of their faces reddened at the same time and Raimundo opened his mouth to say something and Kimiko waited for him, but he seemed to be having a mental block and nothing came out of his mouth, so Kimiko continued.

"I've loved you for a really long time. Probably since the day we met. I'm sorry it took so long for me to say it, but you don't care anyway so it doesn't matter. I didn't want to push you away when you kissed me, its just that you caught me off guard and I… I don't even really know why I pushed you away. Whatever, now is the part where you laugh at me for being so stupid as to believe that you'd actually like me."

Raimundo looked like he'd finally gotten his right mind back but then he was stunned into silence again. When he finally got his voice back, his voice was dripping with confusion.

"Laugh at you? What are you talking about?"

"Well, you obviously just kissed me to make fun of me, right?" Kimiko said flatly. She put on the fakest smile she could muster and she knew that probably even Omi would be able to sense how false and meaningless it was. "But its okay. We can still be friends."

"You think I was just doing that to screw with you?" Raimundo's emerald eyes suddenly became stormy and his face had darkened. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"Oh, I don't mean it against your person. Its just me," Kimiko said.

"Well, I take offense to that," Raimundo said sternly. "I would never do that to someone unless I meant it. How could you think I'd lie to you like that?"

"Wait, what are you saying?" Kimiko's heart had started beating faster and her palms were sweating.

"I'm saying that I love you too. And that this is the part where I kiss you, because you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Raimundo leaned over and kissed Kimiko. She was surprised for a second, then she kissed him back. She broke them apart for just a moment, long enough for her to say, "Just so you know, I'm still mad at you for everything that happened to today."

Raimundo smiled. "I can live with that."


End file.
